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May/June  1998    $2.50 


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'  OUTDOORS 


I 


Our  Point  of  View 


Fishing  remains  one  of  this  nation's  most  popular  outdoor  recreation  activities.  A  recent  national 
survey  ranked  fishing  first  among  men,  ahead  of  golf  and  swimming.  In  Montana,  we  trail  only  Alaska 
in  the  number  of  anglers  per  capita. 

It  appears,  though,  that  the  number  of  young  anglers  is  declining  in  Montana.  Some  blame  it  on  the 
large  number  of  single-parent  families.  Others  think  it  may  be  a  lack  of  opportunity.  Still  others  believe 
it  is  competition  with  organized  sports,  lack  of  free  time  among  parents,  or  other  reasons. 

Too  often,  programs  designed  to 
encourage  fishing  are  put  in  place 
without  attempting  to  find  out  why 
people  don't  fish.  Recent  studies, 
for  example,  show  that  fishing 
participation  by  children  in  single- 
parent  families  is  about  the  same  as 
in  other  families. 

In  Montana  we  took  a  different 
approach.  First,  people  told  us  one 
of  the  most  important  reasons  they 
fish  is  to  be  with  family  and  friends. 
Second,  we  could  see  that  there  was 
no  single  barrier  to  participation — 
for  some  it  was  lack  of  knowledge, 
time,  or  opportunity,  or  the  cost  of 
getting  started. 

So  we  pulled  together  a 
collection  of  ideas  to  use  in 
communities  across  the  state.  At  the 
core  was  a  strong  belief  that  for 
these  efforts  to  be  effective,  they  must  be  embraced  by  local  communities.  In  our  second  year  that  belief 
is  proving  true. 

Schools,  volunteer  instructors,  conservation  and  community  organizations,  libraries,  and  many  more 
are  making  "Family  Fishing  Adventures"  our  fastest  growing  program.  Whether  exchanging  ideas  over 
the  Internet,  learning  about  water  safety,  or  catching  that  first  fish — they  are  experiences  long 
remembered. 

Activities  like  fishing  can  be  enjoyed  for  a  lifetime.  They  provide  an  opportunity  to  learn,  be 
challenged,  have  fun,  or  just  relax.  Are  we  recruiting  future  anglers?  Only  if  they  choose.  Turn  to  Dave 
Hagengruber's  article  on  page  15  to  find  out  how  you  can  help  reduce  the  barriers  so  kids,  families,  and 
friends  have  a  chance  to  make  the  choice. 


Patrick  J.  Graham,  Director 
Montana  Fish,  Wildlife  &  Parks 


The  Sun  River  Canyon  is  home  to  one  of 
the  nation' s  largest  bighorn  sheep  herds 
(page  8). 


State  of  Montana 
Marc  Racicot /Governor 

Montana  Fish,  Wildlife  &  Parks  Commission 

Stan  Meyer/Chairman 

Dave  Simpson/Vice  Chairman 

Darlyne  Dascher 

Charles  Decker 

Dale  Tash 

Montana  Fish,  Wildlife  &  Parks 

Patrick  Graham/Director 

Dave  Mott/Administration  and  Finance 

Conservation  Education  Division 
Ron  Aasheim/Administrator 

Montana  Outdoors  Staff 

Dave  Books/Editor 

Bev  Veneziano/Art  Director 

Debbie  Stemberg/Circulation  Manager 


For  address  changes  or  other  subscription  information 
call  800/678-6668 

Montana  Outdoors  (ISSN  0027-0016),  the  official  publication  of 
Montana  Fish,  Wildlife&  Parks,  is  published  bimonthly  (January, 
March,  May,  July,  September,  and  November).  Contributions 
(manuscripts  or  illustrations)  are  welcome  with  the 
understanding  that  the  department  or  the  editor  cannot  be 
responsible  for  loss  ordamage.  All  contributions  will  be  published 
at  the  discretion  of  the  editor.  Subscription  rates  are  $9  for  one 
year,  $16  for  two  years,  and  $22  for  three  years.  (Please  add  $3  per 
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air  mail  onlv,  are  $25  for  one  year.)  Individual  copies  and  back 
issues  cost  $3.50  each  (includes  postage).  Although  Montana 
Outdoors  is  copyrighted,  permission  to  reprint  articles  is  available 
by  writing  our  office  or  phoning  us  at  406/444-2474.  All 
correspondence  should  be  addressed:  Montana  Outdoors, 
Montana  Fish,  Wildlife  &  Parks,  930  West  Custer  Ave.,  P.O.  Box 
200701;  Helena,  MT  59620-0701  or  e-mail  at  mtoutdrs@ixi.net. 
©Montana  Fish,  Wildlife  &  Parks,  1998.  All  rights  reserved. 
Indexed  by  States'  Periodical  Index,  1660SmithvilleRoad;Havre, 
MT  59501. 

Postmaster:  Send  address  changes  to  Montana  Outdoors, 
Montana  Fish,  Wildlife  &  Parks,  930  West  Custer  Ave.,  P.O.  Box 
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paid  at  Helena,  MT  59620,  and  additional  mailing  offices. 


M 


ONTAN 


OUTDOORS 


May/June  1998 
Volume  29,  Number  3 


5\ 


Features 


2    Landscape  of  Change 

by  Chris  Lorentz 

If  you  like  geology,  dinosaurs,  and  wildlife,  you'll  love  Makoshika 

State  Park. 

8    A  Wildlife  Viewing  Tour  Guide:  Rocky 
Mountain  Front 

by  Deborah  Richie 

From  snow  geese  to  grizzly  bears,  the  East  Front  offers  a  wealth  of 

wildlife  attractions. 

15  Family  Fishing  Adventures 

by  Dave  Hagengruber 

A  new  program  geared  toward  kids  is  helping  keep  Montana's  fishing 

tradition  alive. 

19  Rock  Creek:  A  Conservation  Success  Story 

by  Ellen  Knight 

The  Rock  Creek  Trust  and  its  many  partners  are  working  to  protect 

this  blue-ribbon  trout  stream. 

25  Perspectives — Bad  News  Bears 

photography  by  Donald  M.  Jones 

Black  bear  cubs  emerge  from  their  den  with  a  leg  up  on  survival. 


Departments 


29  CATCHALL — The  Glacier  Institute  celebrates  its  fifteenth  birthday 

30  1997  Fish  Records— ah  fishes  great  and  small 

32  FROM  THE  FlELD— Sunnyslope  grayling  defy  the  odds 

34  Readers  Respond 
37  Contributors 


COVERS — Black  bear  cub  by  Donald  M.  Jones 
Clark's  nutcracker  by  Alan  G.  Nelson 


Landscape  of  Chance: 


MAKOSHIKA 

STATE  PARK* 


... 


by  Chris  Lorentz 


THE  STARK  BEAUTY 

of  the  eastern  Montana  badlands 
conjures  up  images  of  the  Old 
West — Lakota  warriors  and 
cavalry,  cowboys  and  cattle 
drives.  It's  hard  to  imagine  that 
this  arid  region,  adorned  with 
rock  sculptures  of  every  imagin- 
able shape,  was  once  a  humid 
jungle  populated  by  dinosaurs, 
crocodiles,  and  strange  tropical 
plants.  The  story  of  Makoshika's 
transformation  from  sea  to  prairie 
is  clearly  written  in  the  fossil 


record — spelled  out  in  crumbling 
bones,  petrified  wood,  and  plant 
impressions  in  sedimentary  rock. 

The  badlands  of  Makoshika 
are  so  spectacular  that  even 
before  the  turn  of  the  century 
people  advocated  setting  the  area 
aside  as  a  park.  In  1939,  A.J.  and 
Catherine  McCarty  made  the 
dream  possible  by  donating  land 
for  a  park  to  Dawson  County.  In 
1953,  Dawson  County  and  the 
State  of  Montana  teamed  up  to 
establish  Makoshika  State  Park. 


AKOSH 


IMS  ttll  I   -. 


The  rugged  terrain  and  sparse 
vegetation  make  life  in  the  badlands 
challenging  for  man  or  beast,  yet  both 
have  lived  here  at  one  time  or  another. 
Until  the  early  1950s,  wild  horses 
wandered  over  the  badlands.  They  were 
descendents  of  horses  that  escaped 
from  ranches  and  survived  in  the  rough 
breaks  where  fences  are  hard  to  build 
and  harder  to  keep.  Cowboys  who 
wanted  a  sure-footed  horse  would  wait 
until  late  winter  when  the  wild  horses 
were  tired  and  weak.  Only  then  could  a 
rider  stand  a  chance  of  roping  one  of 
these  wild  steeds. 

But  long  before  cowboys  chased 
wild  horses  in  eastern  Montana,  early 
peoples  inhabited  the  Yellowstone 
River  Valley.  Ancient  campsites  and 
scattered  stone  tools  and  projectile 
points  indicate  that  nomadic  hunters 
visited  the  badlands  at  the  end  of  the 


last  ice  age.  more  than  1 1 ,000  years 
ago.  Ongoing  research  may  someday 
tell  the  complete  story  of  these  early 
inhabitants  of  Makoshika. 

Wildlife  in  the  park  today  includes 
numerous  mammals,  songbirds, 
reptiles,  and  raptors,  including 
Makoshika's  mascot,  the  turkey 
vulture.  Turkey  vultures  migrate  south 
for  the  winter  and  return  again  each 
spring.  Buzzard  Day,  a  park  festival 
celebrating  these  soaring  scavengers,  is 
held  the  second  Saturday  of  June  each 
year. 

THE  MAKOSHIKA 
VISITOR  CENTER 

Located  at  the  park  entrance,  the 
visitor  center  is  Makoshika's  nerve 
center  and  the  starting  point  for  park 
guests.  Completed  in  1994,  it  features 
interpretive  displays  on  badlands 


geology,  wildlife,  dinosaurs,  and  early 
human  history  as  well  as  a  hands-on 
collection  of  fossils,  petrified  wood, 
and  rocks  common  to  the  park. 

A  display  called  the  "Seas  of  Time" 
highlights  the  vast  period  when  a 
shallow  sea  covered  much  of  North 
America.  During  this  time,  layers  of 
sediment  thousands  of  feet  thick 
accumulated  on  the  ocean  floor. 
Trapped  in  the  sediments  were  the 
shells  and  skeletons  of  plants  and 
animals  such  as  ferns,  cycads,  clams, 
ammonites,  and  corals. 

The  "Age  of  Dinosaurs,"  a  favorite 
exhibit  of  children  and  adults  alike, 
showcases  the  skull  of  a  juvenile 
triceratops  and  fossil  remains  from 
hadrosaurs  (duckbills)  and 
pachycephalosaurs  (boneheads).  As  the 
Cretaceous  period  ended  and  dinosaurs 
became  extinct  some  65  million  years 


4     MAV/JUNi:  1998    MONTANA  OUTDOORS 


ago,  the  lush,  subtropical  landscape 
changed.  The  climate  cooled  and  the 
seaway  retreated,  giving  rise  to  the 
Tertiary  period  and  the  age  of  mammals. 

The  Tertiary  period  also  saw  the 
first  evidence  of  man  in  the  badlands. 
Some  artifacts  in  Makoshika  include 
charcoal,  bone,  stone  tools,  and 
projectile  points  dating  back  more  than 
1 1 ,000  years.  Evidence  from  an 
archeological  dig  near  Lindsey,  25 
miles  west  of  Glendive,  suggests  early 
hunters  may  have  scavenged  an 
imperial  mammoth  found  on  the  site. 
Carbon-dating  places  the  Lindsey 
mammoth's  death  at  more  than  1 1 .000 
years  ago,  the  approximate  time  when 
man  occupied  campsites  in  Makoshika. 

The  mezzanine  level  of  the  visitor 
center  provides  a  spectacular  view  of 
the  badlands  through  30-foot-tall 
windows.  Exhibits  on  paddlefish — 
strange,  ancient  fish  that  still  inhabit 
the  Yellowstone  and  Missouri  rivers — 
and  related  research  are  also  displayed 
on  this  level.  Back  on  the  main  floor, 
the  park  store  features  educational 
items  relating  to  dinosaurs,  geology, 
wildlife,  plants  and,  of  course, 


CHUCK  HANEY 


MAKOSHIKA 

STATE 

PARK 


Opposite  page:  The  Makoshika 
Visitor  Center  houses  interpretive 
displays  on  geology,  dinosaurs, 
wildlife,  and  early  human  history. 
Above:  Cap  rocks  are  formed 
when  a  hard  sandstone  cap 
protects  softer,  more  erodible  rock 
beneath.  Left:  Turkey  vultures  use 
sharp  eyes  and  a  keen  sense  of 
smell  to  seek  out  carrion. 


Makoshika  State  Park.  Travel  informa- 
tion, park  maps,  and  trail  brochures  are 
also  available.  A  Travel  Montana  kiosk 
provides  access  to  a  computer  database 
of  information  on  everything  from  road 
conditions  to  special  events  and 
accommodations  all  across  Montana. 

ROADS  AND  CAMPGROUNDS 

In  1997,  Montana  Fish,  Wildlife  & 
Parks  (FWP)  spent  over  a  million 
dollars  on  roads  and  facility  improve- 
ments at  Makoshika.  The  main  camp- 
ground has  been  renovated  and  ex- 
panded to  accommodate  up  to  1 1 
family  units.  With  more  than  40  new 
trees  and  shrubs,  the  campground  is 
well  on  its  way  to  being  an  oasis  in  the 
badlands. 

Makoshika  also  offers  picnic  and 
camping  areas  in  the  upper  portions  of 
the  park.  Pine-on-Rocks  is  a  pictur- 
esque picnic  and  camping  area  with 
great  views  of  sunsets  and  sunrises. 

MONTANA  OUTDOORS    may/june  1998    5 


Many  of  the  dispersed  sites  have  only 
one  table  and  afford  opportunities  for 
solitude  and  privacy. 

AMPHITHEATER 
RENOVATION 

Makoshika's  natural  amphitheater 
sits  in  a  bowl  overlooking  Cains 
Coulee.  Cap  rocks  provide  a  grand 
backdrop  behind  the  stage,  and  the 
inherent  beauty  and  natural  acoustics  of 
the  site  make  it  ideal  for  theater 
productions  and  church  services.  The 
Friends  of  Makoshika.  a  nonprofit 
organization  formed  to  assist  the  park, 
has  embarked  on  an  ambitious  project 
to  renovate  the  amphitheater,  one  of 
Makoshika's  crown  jewels.  Improve- 
ments will  include  replacing  the  plank 
bleachers  with  contour  benches  and 
making  the  site  accessible  to  the 
disabled.  The  addition  of  solar  electric- 
ity for  lights,  a  water  system,  and  new 
restrooms  will  make  the  amphitheater 
the  preeminent  outdoor  facility  in  the 
Glendive  area.  Once  renovated,  it  will 
comfortably  accommodate  dinner 
theaters,  church  services,  weddings, 
and  educational  programs. 


of  sandstone,  bentonite  clay,  and 
mudstone.  Along  the  path  interpretive 
signs  encourage  visitors  to  participate 
in  hands-on  experiments  in  geology, 
sedimentation,  and  fossil  study.  A  trail 
brochure  describes  the  rocks,  fossils, 
plants,  and  erosional  forces  at  work  in 
this  unique  landscape.  A  side  spur  leads 
up  a  ridge  to  the  backbone  of  a  hadrosaur 
(duckbill  dinosaur)  locked  in  a  large 
sandstone  boulder.  A  vista  at  the  top  of 
this  spur  trail  provides  a  view  of  Cains 
Coulee  with  Glendive  visible  in  the 
distance.  The  return  loop  of  the  trail 
wanders  among  a  dozen  nest  boxes  claimed 
each  spring  by  mountain  bluebirds. 

KINNEY  COULEE  TRAIL 

For  those  who  tend  toward  the  path 
less  traveled.  Kinney  Coulee  Trail  is 
the  place  to  visit.  This  hike  leads  down 
to  the  depths  of  the  Cretaceous  sedi- 
ments and  into  some  very  rugged 
country.  It's  a  good  idea  to  take  water, 
a  sack  lunch,  and  plenty  of  film  for  the 
trek.  The  trail  drops  down  to  the  bottom 
of  Kinney  Coulee  and  through  some  of 
the  wildest  geology  in  the  park. 


LIONS  YOUTH  CAMP 

The  Glendive  Lions  Club  owns  and 
operates  a  160-acre  youth  camp  in 
Makoshika.  The  camp  features  two 
lodge  buildings  with  sleeping  accom- 
modations and  kitchen  facilities. 
Makotahena  Lodge  has  18  double  beds 
and  space  for  additional  overnight 
guests.  Outside  decks,  which  are 
equipped  with  tables,  benches,  and 
barbecues,  feature  panoramic  views  of 
the  badlands.  Stairs  lead  down  to  an 
observation  deck  that  is  ideal  for 
watching  meteor  showers  on  summer 
evenings.  Sleepy  Hollow  Lodge 
consists  of  a  historic  log  building  with 
separate  bunkhouse  cabins  and  a 
shower  building.  The  lodge  and  cabins 
sit  in  a  wooded  draw  that  provides 
shelter  and  shade.  The  Lions  Club  rents 
out  these  facilities;  reservations  can  be 
made  through  the  Glendive  Lions  Club 
at  406-365-2556. 

OIL  AND  CAS  RESOURCES 

In  recent  years  oil  and  gas  prices 
have  increased  and  spurred  another 
exploration  boom  in  eastern  Montana 


CAP  ROCK  TRAIL 

The  best-known  trail  in  the  park  is 
the  Cap  Rock  Trail,  named  after  a 
prominent  mushroom-shaped  rock  near 
the  trailhead.  This  half-mile  loop  trail 
provides  a  close-up  look  at  the  geology 
and  plants  of  the  badlands.  Rapid 
erosion  of  soft  sedimentary  rock  has 
created  countless  cap  rocks  and 
pinnacles  and  a  spectacular  natural 
sandstone  bridge.  Visitors  should  plan 
on  spending  close  to  an  hour  on  this 
trail;  kids  often  hike  the  trail  twice 
while  other  family  members  relax  on  a 
trailside  bench  and  soak  in  the  scenery. 

PIANE  CABRIEL  TRAIL 

The  Diane  Gabriel  Trail  is  dedicated 
to  the  late  Diane  Gabriel,  a  Milwaukee 
Public  Museum  paleontologist  and 
Glendive  resident  who  loved  to  study 
dinosaurs  and  teach  children  and  adults 
about  these  magnificent  extinct 
creatures.  The  trail  leaves  the  camp- 
ground in  Cains  Coulee  and  follows  a 
side  draw  into  the  badlands.  The  1 .7- 
mile  loop  winds  through  banded  layers 


LEAVE  FOSSILS  IN  PLACE 

Park  staff  are  faced  with  the  paradox  of  how  to  educate  people  about 
fossils  while  preventing  them  from  being  carried  away  by  souvenir 
hunters.  Kids  are  great,  and  they 
really  want  to  learn  about  fossils, 
especially  dinosaur  remains. 
There  is  a  definite  glow  in  the  face 
of  a  child  who  gets  to  touch  and 
hold  a  dinosaur  bone  in  his  or  her 
hand  for  the  first  time.  Yet, 
everyone  needs  to  be  aware  that 
the  fossils  in  the  park  are  not  to 
be  taken  home.  The  park  staff 
endeavors  to  teach  people  to 
enjoy  the  thrill  of  discovery,  then 
leave  the  fossil  in  place  so  the 
next  person  along  the  trail  can 
have  that  same  experience. 

Visitors  who  find  what  looks 
like  an  important  fossil  should  leave  it  alone  and  tell  the  park  staff  about 
what  they  have  found.  Usually  a  staff  person  or  volunteer  can  view  it  and 
determine  if  it  is  a  significant  find.  The  staff  has  looked  at  a  lot  of  cow 
bones  and  rocks,  but  sometimes  it  really  fe  something  important.  In  some 
cases  it  may  take  months  before  a  fossil  is  positively  identified. 


GARY  LEPPART 


Fossils  like  this  dinosaur  bone  should 
be  left  alone  for  others  to  enjoy. 


6    m  «  ji  ne  1998    MONTANA  OUTDOORS 


and  North  Dakota — a  boom  that  has 
reached  Makoshika  State  Park.  The 
geology  that  created  the  badlands  also 
trapped  oil  and  gas  deep  in  the  earth. 
FWP  does  not  own  the  mineral  rights 
under  the  park — the  minerals  are 
owned  by  a  mix  of  public  and  private 
entities,  including  the  BLM.  Dawson 
County,  and  Montana  Department  of 
Natural  Resources  and  Conservation. 
Coordinated  management  of  the  publicly 
owned  minerals  within  the  park  is 
achieved  through  an  agreement  among 
these  parties. 

Oil  companies  have  leased  minerals 
under  approximately  42  percent  of  the 


volunteer  Larry  Boychuk  found  some 
bone  fragments  that  looked  "different" 
Park  staff  could  not  identify  them,  and 
they  sat  encased  in  rock  for  almost  a 
year.  The  next  summer,  when  paleon- 
tologists from  the  Museum  of  the 
Rockies  were  visiting  Makoshika. 
Boychuk  showed  the  bone  fragments  to 
Bob  Harmon,  chief  preparator  for  the 
museum.  Harmon  knew  these  bones 
were  not  common.  While  doing  some 
preliminary  excavation,  he  turned  over 
a  rock  beside  the  bones  and  found  the 
complete  skull.  A  man  of  few  words. 
Harmon  calmly  said,  "cool." 

The  skull  led  to  positive  identifica- 


A  Montana  National  Guard  helicopter  ferries  part  of  the  thescelosaurus  skeleton 
encased  in  a  plaster  jacket — to  a  waiting  trailer. 


land  within  8,123-acre  Makoshika  State 
Park.  Fortunately,  advances  in  oil  field 
technology  allow  exploration  and  even 
extraction  of  oil  without  impacting  the 
park.  The  most  promising  oil  prospects 
are  in  the  southwest  corner  of  the  park 
and  can  be  accessed  with  directional  or 
horizontal  drilling  techniques  from 
outside  the  park.  FWP  is  working  to 
protect  the  park  while  still  allowing  the 
legally  required  access  to  the  potential 
mineral  reserves  under  Makoshika. 

DINOSAUR  DISCOVERY 

In  the  summer  of  1996.  park 


tion  of  the  skeleton.  It  was  a 
thescelosaurus.  a  plant-eating  dinosaur 
that  walked  erect  on  its  hind  legs.  The 
find  touched  off  a  flurry  of  excitement 
in  the  scientific  community,  since  a 
complete  thescelosaurus  skeleton  had 
never  been  found  (all  previous  informa- 
tion was  derived  from  partial  skeletons 
and  a  few  isolated  limb  bones).  To 
ensure  public  safety  as  well  as  protect 
the  fossil,  publicity  was  kept  to  a 
minimum.  The  dig  site  was  on  a  very 
steep  hillside  and  the  crew  was  afraid 
sightseers  would  knock  rocks  loose  and 
possibly  hurt  someone. 


The  12-foot  skeleton  was  completely 
encased  in  rock,  which  preserved  the 
bones  but  made  excavation  difficult 
and  time  consuming.  The  museum  crew 
worked  six  or  seven  days  a  week  for 
seven  weeks  to  jackhammer  aw  ay  as 
much  rock  as  they  dared.  Each  time  a 
bone  was  exposed  it  was  immediately 
jacketed  in  plaster  and  burlap  to  protect 
it  from  the  flying  debris. 

After  nearly  eight  weeks  of  work, 
the  skeleton  was  finally  free  from  the 
ground.  However,  the  rock,  bone,  and 
plaster  jacket  weighed  nearly  5.000 
pounds.  Two  smaller  jackets  weighed 
about  250  pounds  each.  The  problem 
now  was  finding  a  way  to  safely 
remove  the  skeleton  from  the  dig  site. 
After  several  weeks  of  preparation,  the 
Montana  National  Guard  agreed  to 
airlift  the  jacketed  bones  out  of  the 
ravine  as  part  of  a  training  drill. 

On  the  morning  of  September  23. 
1997.  a  Blackhawk  helicopter  lifted  the 
thescelosaurus  skeleton  out  of  the 
ravine  and  onto  a  waiting  trailer.  The 
bones  were  taken  to  the  Museum  of  the 
Rockies  in  Bozeman.  where  curator  of 
paleontology  Jack  Homer  and  Bob 
Harmon  will  prepare  the  thescelosaurus 
skeleton.  Eventually,  a  display  featur- 
ing the  thescelosaurus  will  return  to 
Makoshika. 

The  thescelosaurus  was  not  the  first 
dinosaur  recovered  from  Makoshika.  In 
1990  a  research  team  led  by  Diane 
Gabriel  found  a  triceratops  skeleton 
while  studying  dinosaur  diversity.  This 
skeleton,  which  took  two  summers  to 
excavate,  was  also  taken  to  Bozeman 
for  preparation  at  the  Museum  of  the 
Rockies.  The  Friends  of  Makoshika  ran 
a  fund-raising  campaign  and  paid  for 
preparation  of  the  skull,  which  is  now 
the  centerpiece  of  the  dinosaur  display 
at  the  Makoshika  Visitor  Center. 

MAKOSHIKA  STATE  PARK 

offers  a  landscape  of  unique  geology 
and  exceptional  beauty.  Visitors  can  get 
a  sense  of  times  long  past  when 
dinosaurs  walked  these  lands,  or  simply 
watch  the  colors  of  a  sunset  dance 
across  the  badlands.  In  the  vast,  open 
space  we  call  eastern  Montana. 
Makoshika  truly  is  a  landscape  of 
chance.  ■ 


MONTANA  OUTDOORS    mayauneikw    7 


A  WILDLIFE  VIEWING  TOUR  GUIDE 

ROCKY  MOUNTAIN 
FRONT 


by  Deborah  Richie 


©. 


TOUR  LENGTH/TIME 
300  miles/4-5  days 


elena 


FROM  A  DISTANCE,  THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAIN  FRONT  appears  a  formidable 
reef  upon  the  Grear  Plains.  Close  up,  the  150-mile-long  East  Front  spells  refuge  for  everything 
from  golden  eagles  and  mountain  goats  to  bighorn  sheep,  long-billed  curlews,  and  lizards.  This  is 
the  last  place  where  the  grizzly  still  descends  from  the  mountains  to  roam  the  prairie.  Here  also,  elk, 
mule  deer,  and  pronghorn  feast  on  grasses  that  part  to  reveal  travois  ruts  of  the  Old  North  Trail, 
once  traversed  by  ancient  peoples.  Below  the  surface,  excavated  dinosaur  nests  expose  a  prehistoric 
wildlife  mecca.  In  this  wild  west  landscape,  it's  possible  to  drift  from  the  twentieth  century  to  80 
million  years  ago  in  a  single  step. 

West  of  the  Front  lies  2.5  million  acres  of  protected  midlands — from  the  Scapegoat  Wilderness 
to  the  south,  to  the  Bob  Marshall  Wilderness,  Great  Bear  Wilderness,  and  finally  Glacier  National 
Park  to  the  north. 

Wilderness  and  the  Front's  network  of  large  private  ranches,  Blackfeet  tribal  lands  to  the  north, 
preserves,  and  wildlife  management  areas  merge  into  one  vital  wildlife  complex. 

A  300-mile  round-trip  journey  from  Great  Falls  to  the  featured  eight  wildlife  viewing  areas  will 
take  you  into  the  heart  of  the  Front,  to  country  that  inspired  Choteau  author  A.B.  Guthrie  to  name 
his  famous  novel  The  Big  Sky. 

Allow  at  least  four  days  to  see  all  eight  sites  and  a  week  or  more  for  leisurely  exploration.  Here's 
one  possibility  for  the  breathless,  four-day  version.  On  day  one,  drive  from  Great  Falls  to  Freezout 
Lake  Wildlife  Management  Area  (WMA)  via  Highway  89.  Then,  continue  on  to  Choteau;  from 
there,  head  34  miles  north  to  Dupuyer  and  turn  west  to  the  Theodore  Roosevelt  Memorial  Ranch. 
On  day  two,  check  out  the  Blackleaf  WMA  and  canyon  west  of  Bynum.  Take  the  cut-across  road 
through  the  Blackleaf  WMA  south  to  the  Teton  River  Road  and  visit  Pine  Butte  Swamp  Preserve. 
Spend  day  three  in  the  Teton  River  country  as  well,  hiking  to  Our  Lake  and  stopping  by  Ear 
Mountain  WMA  before  joining  the  guided  tour  of  Egg  Mountain.  On  day  four,  drive  26  miles 
south  of  Choteau  to  Augusta  and  spend  the  last  day  at  the  Sun  River  WMA  and  canyon  before 
returning  to  Great  Falls  via  Highway  21. 


8     MAY/IUNE1998    MONTANA  OUTDOORS 


DUPUYER 


ROCKY  MOUNTAIN  FRONT 
TOUR  ROUTE 


Black-necked  stilt 


to   MISSOULA    J   V  to   HELENA 


SNOW  COOSE  FRENZY  AT 
FREEZOUT  LAKE  WMA 

The  prairie  sky  glistens  with  restless  white 
feathers  dipped  in  ebony  each  spring  and  fall. 
Migrating  snow  geese  by  the  hundreds  of 
thousands  touch  down  at  Freezout  Lake  WMA 
to  rest  on  the  series  of  natural  and  artificial 
ponds  bisected  by  U.S.  Highway  89  and  to  feed 
in  nearby  grain  fields.  During  peak  migration, 

Freezout  resonates  with  the  calls  of  a  million  waterfowl.  In  summer,  avocets,  black-necked  stilts 
black-crowned  night  herons,  and  common  terns  are  among  a  multitude  of  birds  nesting 
here.  Stop  at  the  kiosk  by  the  WMA  headquarters  to  pick  up  a  detailed  birding  guide  and 
map  of  Freezout's  dike  roads  open  for  car  and  foot  travel.  Don't  miss  observing  birds  close- 
up  from  the  accessible  viewing  blind  on  the  northwest  end  of  the  driving  tour.    Freezout 
WMA  is  open  year-round,  but  best  wildlife  viewing  is  spring  through  fall. 


SEASONAL 
HIGHLIGHTS 
Spring:  Snow 
geese,  tundra 
swans,  and 
ducks  migrate; 
elk  head  for 
the  high 
country; 
grizzlies 
descend  to 
the  prairies; 
ground 
squirrels  and 
marmots  pop 
up  from  their 
dens. 

Summer: 

Mountain 
goats  graze 
above  Our 
Lake  and 
Blackleaf 
Canyon; 
avocets  and 
black-necked 
stilts  raise 
chicks  at 
Freezout; 
penstemon, 
lupine,  prairie 
smoke,  phlox, 
and  arrowleaf 
balsamroot  attract 
butterflies;  trout  rise  to 
insects;  pronghorn  race 
the  winds. 

Fall:  Bighorn  sheep 
rams  clash  in  late  fall; 
waterfowl  migrate; 
snowshoe  hares  change 
color:  sandhill  cranes  fly 
south. 

Winter:  Thousands  of 
elk,  mule  deer  and  white- 
tailed  deer  gather  on 
winter  ranges;  marmots 
and  pikas 
hibernate;  coyotes 
and  rough-legged 
hawks  hunt  for 
voles. 


MONTANA  OUTDOORS    may/iuneiws    9 


MAKE  YOURSELF 
KNOWN  IN  GRIZZLY 
BEAR  COUNTRY  BY 
lALKING  OR  SINGING. 
BE  ALERT  FOR  BEAR 
TRACKS  AND  FRESH 
DIGGINGS. 


PRESIDENTIAL  VIEWS  ACROSS 

THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 
MEMORIAL  RANCH 

From  a  windy  ridge  overlooking  the  6,000- 
acre  ranch  owned  by  the  Boone  and  Crockett 
Club,  you  can  imagine  the  grinding  of  glaciers 
carving  out  this  verdant  valley,  today  sliced  by 
cottonwood-  and  willow-lined  Dupuyer  Creek. 
Interpretive  signs  at  the  beginning  and  end  of         Theodore  Roosevelt  Memorial  Ranch 
half-mile  vista  trail  feature  natural  and  cultural  history.  As  many  as  2,800  mule  deer  and  650  elk 
winter  on  south-facing  hillsides.  In  summer,  migratory  songbirds,  from  warblers  to  flycatchers,  nest 
in  streamside  cottonwoods  and  willows  that  are  home  to  white-tailed  deer  as  well.  Beavers  dam  the 
feeder  streams,  playing  a  keystone  role  in  Dupuyer  Creek's  ecology.  Red-tailed  hawks  hunt  for 
ground  squirrels.  The  secretive  visits  of  grizzly  and  black  bears,  mountain  lions,  bobcats,  and 
wolverines  come  as  no  surprise  in  a  wild  and  woolly  landscape  that's  managed  both  for  wildlife  and 
cattle  ranching. 

To  get  there,  take  Dupuyer  Creek  Road  west  for  8.5  miles,  keeping  a  sharp  eye  for  songbirds 
and  perhaps  the  shadowy  outline  of  something  bigger  in  the  brush.  Take  the  left  fork  and  go  south 
0.5  mile  to  a  T;  go  left  3  miles  to  another  T;  go  right  2  miles  to  the  kiosk  and  nature  trail.  The  trail 
is  open  to  the  public,  except  during  hunting  season  (mid-October  to  December  1 ).  All  other  access 
requires  written  permission  from  the  tanch  headquarters.  The  road  continuing  up  the  North  Fork 
of  Dupuyer  Creek  to  national  forest  land  takes  you  to  outstanding  vistas  of  Walling  Reef. 


GRIZZLY  BEAR  J 
BY  DONALD  M.  JO 


BEARS  ON  THE  BRINK: 
BLACKLEAFWMA  AND  CANYON 

Crizzly  and  black  bears  venture  each 
spring  from  their  high  mountain  dens  to 
the  brink  of  their  range,  searching  for 
greens  and  winter-killed  animals.  Blackleaf 
WMA  is  a  favorite  prairie  destination. 
Antelope  Butte  Lake  forms  an  excellent 
Blackleaf  Canyon  observation  point  for  an  unlikely,  but 

possible,  sighting  of  a  grizzly  in  the  upper  reaches  of  creek  bottoms  to  the  west.  The  Blackleaf 
conserves  another  chunk  of  critical  winter  range  for  elk  and  mule  deer.  The  1 1 ,000  acres  of 
grasslands,  limber  pine  ridges,  and  wet  meadows  sustain  jackrabbits,  snowshoe  hares,  Columbian 
and  Richardson's  ground  squirrels,  thirteen-lined  ground  squirrels,  and  yellow-bellied  marmots.  A 


10    MAYflUNElMi    MONTANA  OUTDOORS 


healthy  prey  base  makes  a  good  living  for  hawks,  prairie  falcons,  golden  eagles,  coyotes,  and  weasels. 
Along  aspen-lined  BlackJeaf  Creek,  look  for  western  flycatchers,  Townsend's  solitaires,  goldfinches, 
and  red-naped  sapsuckers.  The  county'  road  ends  at  BlackJeaf  Canyon.  Hike  the  trail  through  this 
narrow  cleft  below  cliffs  inhabited  by  mountain  goats. 

The  WMA  is  open  May  15  to  December  1.  Take  the  BlackJeaf  Road  west  from  Bynum  14 
miles.  The  road  continues  four  more  miles  through  the  WMA  to  the  canyon.  Backtrack  and  take 
the  cutoff  road  at  the  14-mile  mark  (directional  signs  at  this  junction)  to  reach  the  turnoffto 
Antelope  Butte,  and  to  continue  on  to  the  Teton  River  Road.  The  cutoff  road  past  the  WMA  may 
be  impassable  when  wet. 


TAP  INTO  ALL  YOUR 
SENSES— SIGHT,. 
HEARING.  SMELL, 
TASTE  AND  TOUCH- 
TO  PARTICIPATE 
FULLY  IN  WILDLIFE  \ 


WATCHING. 


Pine  Butte  Swamp  Presen  i 


ONE  IN  A  MILLION: 

PINE  BUTTE  SWAMP  PRESERVE 

Rarities  grace  the  1 8,000-acre  Nature 
Conservancy  preserve  where  flowing 
groundwaters  nurture  the  Front's  largest 
prairie  swamp  or  "fen.    The  yellow  lady's 
slipper,  Macoun  s  gentian,  cotton  grass. 
Craw's  sedge,  a  hybrid  minnow,  and  grizzly 
bear  are  among  the  ten  rarities.  Grizzlies 
descend  to  the  fen  in  spring  and  summer  to  rear  and  feed 
their  young  in  the  company  of  sandhill  cranes,  northern 
harriers,  beaver,  and  white-tailed  deer.  Fifty  mammal  and 
ISO  bird  species  inhabit  the  preserve.  Pine  Butte  stands 
sentinel  over  all,  a  lone  sandstone  escarpment  sideswiped 
by  ihe  glaciers. 

For  a  sweeping  view  of  the  fen  and  Pine  Butte  to  the 
east  and  Ear  Mountain  to  the  west,  hike  the  short  A.B. 
Guthrie  Memorial  Trail  from  the  kiosk  up  to  a  ridge 
where  gnarled  limber  pines  testify  to  winds  and  weather. 
June  and  July  offer  the  best  trailside  bird  and  wildflower 
viewing — from  mountain  bluebirds,  savannah  sparrows,  and  long-billed  curlews  to  penstemon, 
lupine,  prairie  smoke,  phlox,  and  arrowleaf  balsamroot. 

Note  that  the  trail  is  the  only  public  access  allowed  on  the  preserve  without  a  guide  (tours  and 
weekly  stays  are  available  through  Pine  Butte  Guest  Ranch).  Take  the  South  Fork  Teton  River 
Road  fork  at  mile  15  of  the  Teton  River  Road,  cross  the  river,  and  proceed  south  to  reach  the  kiosk 
and  trail. 


)  ellow  lady  i  slipper 


$& 


LUPINE  AND  PRAIRIE  SMOKE 
BY  JIM  MEPHAM 


MONTANA  OUTDOORS    mm  n  Ml  1  1 


STEER  CLEAR  OF 
NESTS  AND  DENS. 
LEAVE  BABY  BIRDS 
AND  YOUNG 
ANIMALS  WHERE 
YOU  FINDTHEM. 


Mini  main  goats  at  Our  Lake 


MOUNTAIN  COATS  RULE 
OUR  LAKE 

Wildlife  viewers  take  heart;  it  would  be 
an  unusual  July  or  August  day  not  to  see 
mountain  goats  on  the  cliffs  above  Our 
Lake.  Goat  fur  and  tracks  reveal  their 
presence  at  water's  edge  when  people  are 
not  present.  The  3.5-mile  trail  to  one  of 
the  Front's  few  alpine  lakes  leads  from 
forest  to  treeless  terrain  along  a  well- 
maintained,  gradual  series  of  switchbacks.  Just  beyond  the  trailhead,  a  pair  of  interpretive  signs 
feature  mountain  goats  and  alpine  wildflowers.  In  the  conifer  forest,  listen  for  ruby-crowned 
kinglets,  golden-crowned  kinglets,  mountain  chickadees,  red  crossbills,  and  Cassin's  finches.  Ravens 
and  Clark's  nutcrackers  could  well  be  companions  throughout  the  hike.  Once  at  Our  Lake, 
remember  that  mountain  goats  have  first  rights  here.  To  preserve  this  fragile  ecosystem,  people 
must  stay  on  trails,  leave  wildflowers  on  the  stem,  and  observe  mountain  goats  from  a  respectful 
distance. 

Take  the  South  Fork  Teton  River  Road  for  9  miles — past  Mill  Falls  Campground — to  the  end 
of  the  road.  This  is  also  the  trailhead  for  Headquarters  Pass. 

GRIZZLY  GATEWAY: 
EAR  MOUNTAIN  WMA 

Between  Pine  Butte  Swamp  and  the  high 
peaks,  the  3,000-acre  Ear  Mountain  WMA 
serves  as  a  spring  gateway  for  grizzly  bears. 
Here,  they  can  hide  in  aspen  groves  and  emerge 
at  night  to  graze  in  the  open  wetlands  on 
favorite  plants  like  cow  parsnip  and  angelica. 
The  North  Fork  of  Willow  Creek  forms  a 
hidden  passage  for  bears  traveling  from  mountainside  to  fen  and  back.  Mule  deer,  bighorn  sheep, 
black  bears,  raptors,  and  songbirds  also  find  shelter  here.  The  summit  plateau  of  Ear  Mountain,  just 
beyond  the  WMA,  harbors  a  vision  quest  site  and  overlooks  remnants  of  the  prehistoric  Old  North 
Trail.  The  8, 380-foot  sacred  peak  presides  over  one  of  the  few  places  left  for  grizzly  bears  to  follow 
their  own  ancient  pathways. 

From  Choteau,  drive  south  0.5  mile,  turn  west  on  the  Bellview  Road  (at  Pishkun  Reservoir 
sign).  Continue  past  the  turnoff  to  Pishkun  Reservoir  (5  miles  out)  and  head  17  more  miles  to  the 


Ear  Mountain 


12 


mai  ii  m  iotk    MON1  \\  1  OUTDOORS 


trailhead.  Coming  from  Our  Lake,  take  the  county  road  through  Pine  Butte  Swamp  Preserve,  past 
the  kiosk  approximately  3  to  4  miles.  Then,  turn  west  at  the  T  and  go  another  4  miles.  From  the 
public  parking  area,  walk  a  short  way  up  an  old  road  to  a  knoll.  Scan  for  bighorn  sheep  on  Ear 
Mountain's  upper  slope  in  summer.  Look  for  sheep  with  lambs  on  lower  slopes  in  spring. 

For  a  longer  scenic  hike  into  the  WMA,  take  the  South  Fork  Teton  River  Road  1.5  miles  to  a 
marked  pullout  and  hike  the  Bureau  of  Land  Management  trail  for  1.5  miles  to  the  WMA, 
traversing  the  Front  foothills.  Remember  to  avoid  unwanted  surprises;  make  your  presence  known 
in  bear  country.  The  WMA  is  open  from  May  1 5  to  December  1 . 


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DINO  DIGS: 
EGG  MOUNTAIN 

Where  the  East  Front  eases  toward  the 
plains,  a  rather  inconspicuous  square  mile  ot 
eroded  washes  and  knobs  has  found  its  way 
to  stardom  for  one  reason:  dinosaur  eggs  and 
nests — lots  of  them.  In  1978,  paleontologist 

Jack  Horner  confirmed  a  Maiasaura  nest  here 

•  u  c      -i-     j  k  u-       u  i  j  j-  Dinosaur  di?  near  Eqq  Mountain 

with  fossilized  babies  that  revealed  dinosaur  *  ■» 

maternal  behavior  for  the  first  time.  By  the  mid-1980s,  he  and  his  crew  chiseled  away  rock  and  soil 
to  reveal  entire  nesting  colonies  of  dinosaurs  that  dwelled  in  a  tropical  climate  some  80  million 
years  ago.  Horner  believes  the  dinosaurs  returned  year  after  year  to  the  same  nursery.  Egg  Moun- 
tain itself,  a  mudstone  knob,  is  chock  full  of  fossilized  dinosaur  eggs — more  eggs  than  in  any  other 
spot  in  the  world. 

The  only  way  to  visit  Egg  Mountain  is  to  take  a  free  afternoon  tour  hosted  by  a  paleontologist 
from  the  Museum  of  the  Rockies.  These  tours  are  available  from  June  25  to  August  20  each 
summer.  Please  respect  the  private  landowners  in  the  vicinity  and  do  not  trespass.  The  Old  Trail 
Museum  in  Choteau  has  information  on  the  exact  tour  time  and  where  to  park. 


CHARISMATIC  MEGAFAUNA  OF 
SUN  RIVER  WMA  AND  CANYON 

Up  to  2,000  elk  depend  on  the  plentiful 
grasses  and  shelter  of  this  20,000-acre  WMA. 
Their  single-file  trails  lead  here  with  winter's 
advance  from  all  parts  of  the  Sun  River  drain- 
age. By  May  15,  the  public  opening  date,  the 
few  elk  still  remaining  soon  join  their  brethren 


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MONTANA  OUTDOORS    MAY/JI  Nl  1998     1  3 


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high  in  the  Bob  Marshall  Wilderness.  In  summer,  the  Sun  River 
is  far  from  devoid  of  wildlife.  The  recorded  55  mammal,  73 
bird,  2  amphibian,  and  3  reptile  species  find  refuge  within  25 
habitat  types  that  include  three  perennial  streams  and  two  lakes, 
Swayze  and  Dickens.  Summer  wildlife  viewers  might  see  black 
bears,  mule  and  white-tailed  deer,  and  several  species  of  grouse. 
Trumpeter  swans  and  tundra  swans  touch  down  in  potholes 
during  spring  and  fall  migration. 

Farther  up  the  Sun  River  Canyon,  you  reach  the  haven  of 
one  of  the  country's  largest  bighorn  sheep  herds.  Late  Novem- 
ber to  early  December  is  the  best  time  to  witness  the  spectacle  of 

rams  vying  for  leadership  on  a  flat  across  the  river  in  the  Wagner  Basin.  Look  for  a  marked  viewing 
area  with  a  sheep  interpretive  sign.  Besides  the  obvious  signs  of  beaver  in  the  river,  keep  an  eye  out 
for  harlequin  ducks  that  breed  along  fast-flowing  waters. 

Take  the  Gibson  Reservoir/Sun  Canyon  Road  3.5  miles  to  a  fork.  Go  left  5  miles  to  the  WMA. 
Roads  lead  to  the  WMA  at  the  southeast  corner  or  2.5  miles  farther  west  at  Swayze  Lake.  In  winter, 
elk  may  be  viewed  from  pullouts  outside  the  WMA  and  from  the  main  road  leading  to  Gibson 
Reservoir  and  a  major  trailhead  for  the  Bob  Marshall.  The  WMA  is  open  May  15  to  December  1 .   ■ 

FOR  MORE  INFORMATION  ON  SITES,  CAMPING,  RECREATION 
OPPORTUNITIES,  GUIDED  TOURS: 

Charlie  Russell  Country:  1-800-527-5348. 

Choteau  Chamber  of  Commerce:  1-800-823-3866. 

Montana  Wildlife  Viewing  Guide:  by  Hank  and  Carol  Fischer,  Falcon  Press,  P.O.  Box  1718, 

Helena,  MT  59624  (1-800-582-2665). 
Old  Trail  Museum:  406-466-5332. 
Pine  Butte  Swamp  Preserve:  406-466-5526. 
Pine  Butte  Guest  Ranch:  406-466-2158. 
Theodore  Roosevelt  Memorial  Ranch:  406-472-3380. 

Rocky  Mountain  Ranger  District,  Lewis  &  Clark  National  Forest:  406-466-5341. 
Wildlife  Management  Areas:  406-467-2646  (Freezout  Lake);  or  406-454-5840  (FWP  Region  4). 


14     MAY/JUNE  l»8     MONTANA  OUTDOORS 


Family 
Fishing 


Adventures 


by  Dave  Hagengruber 


Ask  most  people  m  Montana,  and  they'll 
tell  you  that  they  grew  up  with  a  fishing  rod 
clasped  firmly  in  their  hands. Indeed,  fishing 
is  an  important  component  of  the  quality  of 
life  that  we  enj  oy  here  in  the  last  Best  Place. 

5o  is  it  possible  for  someone  to  live  in  a  state  like  Montana 
and  not  grow  up  fishing  with  family  and  friends?  Today's 
reality  is  that  many  youngsters  have  no  opportunity  to 
experience  fishing...to  learn  this  avocation  so  important 
to  those  of  us  who  call  Montana  home. 

Concerned  with  this  fact,  Montana  Fish, 
Wildlife  <i  Parks  Director  Pat  Graham 
launched  a  plan  in  19%  designed  to  eliminate 
barriers  preventing  new  anglers 
from  getting  out  on  the  water. 
The  program-called  "Montana's 
Family  Fishing  Adventures  "-has 
several  components  that  are 
being  used  to  keep  Montana's 
fishing  traditions  alive. Here  ore.  a 
few  examples: 


Hooked  On 


The  next  time  you  visit  Red  Lodge, 
don't  be  surprised  to  see  kids  holding 
fishing  rods  out  on  the  school  play- 
ground. Last  year.  Red  Lodge  public 
schools  began  using  the  national 
"Hooked  on  Fishing,  Not  on  Drugs" 
program  in  their  fourth  and  fifth  grades. 
Participating  schools  receive  training 
and  fishing  equipment  from  FWP. 

For  teacher  Dennis  Prewett,  the 
choice  was  a  logical  one.  "Responses 
from  the  kids  to  'Hooked  on  Fishing' 
have  just  been  outstanding,"  he  says. 
"We  decided  to  try  this  program  since 
it  offers  students  opportunities  long 
after  they  leave  our  classrooms,  not  just 
during  a  nine-month  school  year. 
Fishing  is  a  life  skill  they  can  enjoy 
with  their  families." 

In  the  "Hooked  on  Fishing"  pro- 
gram, fish,  fishing,  and  aquatic  re- 
sources become  a  classroom  theme. 
The  field  experiences  act  as  a  reward 


for  good  performance  and  behavior, 
and  serve  to  motivate. 

"It's  amazing  what  fishing  can  do 
for  these  kids,"  says  Prewett.  "It 
teaches  problem-solving  skills,  a  means 
of  dealing  with  peer  pressure,  and  an 
opportunity  to  spend  time  with  their 
families  and  friends,  or  just  as  impor- 
tantly, alone.  Get  these  kids  talking  and 
learning  about  fish  and  the  environ- 
ment, and  they  reach  a  whole  new  level 


of  excitement.  It's  a  very  effective 
teaching  tool." 

Originally,  three  Montana  schools 
tested  "Hooked  on  Fishing"  to  deter- 
mine whether  it  would  be  suitable  for 
use  statewide.  Based  on  the  results,  the 
program  was  expanded  to  nearly  40 
classrooms  last  fall.  About  10  new 
schools  will  be  accepted  into  the 
program  each  year. 


free  Fbhhg  Day 

Judy  Sander,  East  Evergreen  Elementary  School,  loads  her  students  into  a  bus  on  a  cold 
January  day.  "Everyone  got  their  lunches'?  Hats?  Gloves?"  she  asks,  checking  each  child  for  the 
essentials.  Sander  and  her  fourth-grade  class  are  using  the  "Hooked  on  Fishing,  Not  on  Drugs" 
program,  and  this  is  one  of  their  much  anticipated  field  trips:  fishing  through  the  ice  at  Church 
Slough.  Their  sights  are  set  on  yellow  perch. 

How  does  Sander,  a  teacher  who  admits  to  having  almost  no  prior  fishing  experience,  manage 
to  keep  track  of  two  dozen  excited  fourth  graders?  "Lots  of  help  from  parents!  I've  had  good 
success  attracting  parents  on  field  trips — especially  those  who  would  never  come  into  a  conven- 
tional classroom.  The  free  fishing  license  exemption  really  is  nice — it  makes  it  easier  for  them 
to  come  along  and  help  out,"  says  Sander.  On  this  day  at  Church  Slough,  1 1  parents  are  waiting 
on  the  ice  to  work  with  her  students. 

The  fishing  license  exemption  Sander  refers  to  is  one  part  of  FWP's  new  "Family  Fishing 
Adventures"  program.  Established  by  the  1997  Legislature,  the  exemption  allows  FWP  to  offer 
free  fishing  licenses  to  participants  at  educational  fishing  events.  It's  hoped  that  the  one-day 
license  exemption,  which  is  good  only  at  a  specific  time  and  location  for  those  attending  an 
educational  event,  will  encourage  more  new  anglers  to  try  fishing  for  the  first  time. 

How  did  Evergreen  Elementary 's  ice  fishing  trip  turn  out?  They  caught  about  45  perch,  and 
nobody  left  their  mittens  on  the  bus.  Quite  a  successful  trip. 


16     \iu  ii  si  r™>     Ud\l  \\  1  OUTDOORS 


Fbhhg 

instructors 


Last  summer,  Don  Kelly 
volunteered  his  skills  as  a  fly-tying 
instructor  at  "Kid's  Day  on  the  Big 
Hole  River,"  combining  hooks, 
chenille,  feathers,  and  lots  of 
patience  into  a  day  remembered  by 
all  for  a  long  time.  For  more  and 
more  sportmen's  clubs,  holding  a 
fishing  clinic  for  local  kids  is 
becoming  an  annual  event — and  a 
chance  for  dedicated  volunteers 
like  Kelly  to  share  their  love  of 
fishing  with  the  next  generation  of 
anglers. 

"Kid's  Day."  held  at  a  ranch 
on  the  Big  Hole  River  near  Glen,  is  free 
and  open  to  anyone  wanting  to  attend. 
Young  anglers  spend  the  morning 
rotating  through  stations  that  include 
casting,  aquatic  entomology,  water 
safety,  fly-tying,  and  fish  identification. 
After  lunch,  local  guides,  FWP  game 
wardens,  and  instructors  load  the  kids 
into  drift  boats  and  rafts  and  take  them  on 
a  float  down  the  scenic  Big  Hole. 

The  30  or  more  instructors  for  the 
event  come  from  all  over  the  region 
and  represent  conservation  groups  like 
Trout  Unlimited  and  the  Big  Hole 
River  Foundation.  It  was  Kelly's  first 
experience  as  a  volunteer.  "I've  been 
flyfishing  for  30  years  and  this  looked 
like  a  great  way  for  me  to  give  some- 
thing back  to  the  sport,"  says  Kelly.  "It 
occurred  to  me  that  these  kids  are  the 
future  of  our  fisheries  in  this  state,  and 
it's  important  for  them  to  develop  a 
respect  for  the  resource  at  an  early  age. 
This  is  one  way  I  can  make  sure  that 
the  people  I'll  be  meeting  out  there  on 
the  creek  in  the  future  have  good 
ethics." 

Kelly  was  not  alone  as  a  fishing 
instructor.  Last  year,  more  than  200 
volunteers  helped  children  and  their 
families  learn  to  fish  in  Montana. 


Devoted  trout  anglers  belong  to 
Trout  Unlimited.  The  B.A.S.S.  Federa- 
tion is  out  there  for  bass  fanatics.  Are 
you  nuts  about  walleyes?  Go  no  further 
than  your  nearest  Walleyes  Unlimited 
chapter.  But  for  Montana  kids  who 
love  to  fish,  there  hasn't  been  a  group 
to  join — until  now. 

"My  kids  received  Pennsylvania's 
fishing  newsletter  for  kids  and  they 
absolutely  loved  it,"  says  John  Fraley, 
FWP's  information  officer  in  Kalispell. 
"I  thought,  why  can't  we  have  a  club 
like  that  right  here  in  Montana?"  With 
that  thought,  the  Montana  Angling 
Youth,  or  M*A*Y  Club,  was  born. 

"Most  of  the  members  are  pretty 
young — from  elementary  age  even 
down  into  preschool,"  adds  Fraley. 
"Three  times  a  year  they  receive  the 
M*A*Y  Club  newsletter,  and  once  a 
year  they  get  a  small  package  of  fishing 
supplies.  There  are  no  meetings  to  attend." 


DRAWING  BY  BETHANY  MILAN 


Since  it  began  last  year,  the  M*A*Y 
Club  has  blossomed  to  include  more 
than  2,000  kids.  Schools  in  the 
"Hooked  on  Fishing"  program  contribute 
many  of  the  articles  and  puzzles  for  each 
issue  of  the  newsletter.  Sportmen's  clubs 
in  the  Flathead  Valley  have  provided 
financial  help  for  printing  and  mailing 
the  newsletter;  their  support,  combined 
with  other  grants,  has  made  it  possible 
for  club  membership  to  be  free  thus  far. 
"Originally,  we  wanted  to  see  how 
much  interest  this  club  would  draw  in 
the  northwest  part  of  the  state,"  says 
Fraley.  Now  we're  hoping  to  attract 
kids  from  all  over  Montana.  Any  kid 
who  loves  fishing  should  be  a  part  of 
this  group." 

Montana  residents  can  sign  up  for 
the  M*A*Y  Club  by  sending  their 
name,  address,  and  age  to:  M*A*Y 
Club,  FWP,  490  North  Meridian  Road. 
Kalispell  MT  59901. 


MONTANA  OUTDOORS    MAY/JUNE  1998     17 


FbWngTackfe 

Loaner 
Program 

So  what  happens  if  you  want  to  go 
fishing,  but  don't  have  the  equipment? 
In  Havre,  there's  a  simple  answer  to 
that  question:  you  borrow  a  rod  and 
reel  from  one  of  the  town's  tackle 
loaner  sites. 

Operating  similarly  to  libraries, 
tackle  loaner  sites  make  basic  fishing 
tackle  available  free  of  charge  to 
anyone  who  needs  it.  In  Havre, 
borrowing  a  rod  and  reel  is  as  simple  as 
signing  them  out  at  the  front  counter  of 
one  of  the  town's  two  loaner  sites — 
Stromberg's  Sinclair  Station  and  Bing 
&  Bob's  Sporting  Goods.  The  Havre 
Chapter  of  Walleyes  Unlimited  helps 
maintain  the  equipment,  which  FWP 
provides  free  of  charge  to  participating 
sites. 

Other  tackle  loaner  sites  are  scat- 
tered across  Montana,  and  FWP  is 
always  looking  for  good  locations  to 
establish  new  ones.  Sort  of  a  network 
of  fishing  libraries,  you  might  say.  As 
with  any  library,  the  success  of  the 
program  depends  on  citizen  dedica- 
tion— and.  of  course,  no  overdue  items! 


Phil  Stewart,  former  fisheries 
manager  for  FWP's  Region  7.  is  all 
smiles  as  he  talks  about  his  latest 
success.  "Last  year  we  planted  some 
perch  in  Cook  Lake  [Miles  City]  in 
hopes  of  managing  the  water  as  a  kid's 
fishery.  After  we  got  that  first  batch  of 
fish  in  there  I  was  pretty  excited — I 
really  thought  we  would  start  seeing 
some  kids  out  fishing  the  pond." 
Stewart  had  no  idea  just  how  accurate 
his  prediction  would  be. 

The  dilemma  of  finding  locations  to 
introduce  new  anglers  to  fishing  has 
been  on  the  minds  of  Montana's 
fisheries  managers  for  some  time.  In 
fact,  places  like  Cook  Lake  were  just 
what  Jim  Satterfield,  chief  of  FWP's 
Fisheries  Management  Bureau,  had  in 
mind  when  he  initiated  the  "Family 
Fishing  Sites"  program.  "For  someone 


To  find  out  how 

to  participate  or  learn  more  about  any  aspect 
of  the  "Family  Fishing  Adventures"  program,  contact: 


Dave  Hagengruber 

FWP  Angler  Education  Specialist 

1420  E.  6th  Ave. 

Helena  MT  59620 

406-444-9736. 


new  to  fishing,  the  most  important 
thing  is  to  catch  a  fish — any  fish,"  says 
Satterfield.  "They  don't  need  a  20-inch 
rainbow  or  a  10-pound  walleye.  A  six- 
inch  perch  works  just  fine." 

For  Stewart,  the  public  response  to 
his  efforts  has  been  especially  encour- 
aging. "I've  received  more  positive 
comments  over  managing  that  pond  as 
a  kid's  perch  fishery  than  almost 
anything  I've  done  in  my  15  years  as 
fisheries  manager  in  Miles  City,"  he 
says.  "Even  though  the  pond  only 
exists  for  three  or  four  months  each 
year  [it  is  fed  by  water  pumped  from 
the  Tongue  River  and  generally  goes 
dry  by  October],  I  was  amazed  at  how 
many  kids  were  down  there  fishing." 

Satterfield  hopes  to  find  more 
locations  like  Cook  Lake.  "We've 
asked  our  managers  across  the  state  to 
develop  fisheries  for  beginning  anglers, 
particularly  ponds  that  can  be  reached 
by  kids  walking  or  riding  their  bi- 
cycles," he  says.  "We're  lucky  in  this 
state  to  have  incredible  fisheries 
resources,  but  we  need  to  be  sure  there 
are  places  where  dad  or  mom  can  grab 
a  can  of  worms  and  go  catch  some  fish 
with  their  kids." 

Phil  Stewart,  who  retired  from  FWP 
in  February,  sums  it  up  this  way:  "I  just 
think  it  was  neat  to  see  a  project  like 
this  take  off  in  Miles  City.  It  was 
something  we  needed  around  here."  ■ 


1 8    may/June  1908    MONTANA  OUTDOORS 


OCK   CREEK: 


A  Conservation  Success  Story 


A  conservation  easement  on  the  Castle  Rock  Ranch  is  the  latest  in  a  series  of 
innovative  land  transactions  designed  to  protect  the  scenery,  wildlife,  and  water 
quality  of  this  blue-ribbon  trout  stream. 


by   Ellen   Knight 


KAREN  PETERSON  and  her  husband  Sam  help 
run  the  family  ranch  in  Rock  Creek  with  her  father,  Jim 
Gillies.  Karen,  who  has  her  own  new  daughter,  Janelle, 
remembers  sitting  on  her  grandmother's  lap  as  a  child.  "She  told 
me  she  always  wanted  this  land  to  be  here  for  me,"  says  Karen. 

Karen's  grandmother,  Martha  Gillies,  and  her  husband  Joe, 
homesteaded  the  Castle  Rock  Ranch  in  1886  when  ranches 


were  just  beginning  to  be  carved  out  of  the  upper  Rock  Creek 
valley  a  few  miles  west  of  Philipsburg.  There,  with  the 
snowcapped  crags  of  the  Anaconda-Pintler  Mountains  for  a 
backdrop,  three  generations  of  the  Gillies  family  have  been 
ranching  ever  since.  And  although  times  and  ranching 
practices  have  changed,  Karen's  grandmother's  wishes  have 
come  true. 


Well-known  angler- 
author  Joe  Brooks 
regularly  visited  Rock 
Creek  in  the  1950s 
and  1960s,  helping 
solidify  its  fame. 


It's  easy  to  see  why  the  family  loves  their  land — the  Castle 
Rock  Ranch  is  a  spectacular  place  in  the  heart  of  a  renowned 
watershed.  Now.  thanks  to  the  Gillies  family  and  the  strong 
teamwork  of  the  nonprofit  Rock  Creek  Trust  and  Montana 
Fish,  Wildlife  &  Parks  (FWP),  the  ranch  will  remain  whole  in 
perpetuity.  Last  October  a  conservation  easement  was 
finalized  to  protect  the  ranch's  considerable  conservation 
values — 1 ,554  acres  of  open  space,  dramatic  scenery,  blue- 
ribbon  fishing  water,  riparian  habitat  with  moose  and  migra- 
tory songbirds,  and  upland  grasses  that  support  one  of  the 
finest  bands  of  bighorn  sheep  in  the  nation.  In  addition,  the 
family  can  keep  right  on  ranching. 

The  easement,  acquired  with  a  combination  of  funding 
from  the  Rock  Creek  Trust,  FWP's  Habitat  Montana  pro- 
gram, and  bighorn  sheep  auction  monies,  is  held  by  FWP. 
which  pleases  director  Pat  Graham.  "Montana  leads  the 
nation  in  acres  protected  under  conservation  easement," 
Graham  says.  "This  work  couldn't  be  accomplished  by  any 
single  entity,  but  requires  a  collaboration  of  efforts — public 
and  private  partnerships  as  exemplified  by  the  Castle  Rock 
Ranch  easement  acquisition.  We  are  particularly  pleased 
because  this  project  provides  habitat  for  fish  and  wildlife, 
recreational  access  opportunities,  and  the  open  space  that  is 
so  important  to  the  Rock  Creek  drainage." 

He  notes  the  accomplishments  of  conservation  easements 
are  not  measured  in  ordinary  terms  but  in  terms  of  what  you 
don't  see  on  the  land.  In  the  case  of  the  Castle  Rock  Ranch, 
what  you  see  30  years  or  50  years  down  the  line  will  not  be 
much  different  from  what  you  see  there  today.  This  is  not  the 
first  time  that  FWP  and  the  Rock  Creek  Trust  have  teamed  up 
in  such  an  effort.  Numerous  joint  projects  over  the  past 
decade  have  worked  to  the  benefit  of  Rock  Creek. 

The  story  of  the  Rock  Creek  Trust's  creation  and  work 


make  an  interesting  conservation  case  study — it  has  turned 
out  to  be  one  way  to  protect  a  river.  For  decades.  Rock 
Creek's  fame  as  a  trout  fishing  stream  and  wildlife  paradise 
has  inspired  landowners,  individuals,  and  conservation  groups 
to  leap  to  its  defense  whenever  a  new  threat  emerges.  Many 
groups,  like  the  Montana  Fish  and  Game  Association  and 
Trout  Unlimited,  have  had  an  ongoing  commitment  to 
protecting  the  drainage. 

Gary  Eudaily,  a  long-time  cabin  owner  in  Rock  Creek, 
remembers  when  fishing  greats  like  Lee  Wulff,  Dan  Bailey. 
Joe  Brooks,  and  Charley  Waterman  would  come  to  Rock 
Creek  for  a  week  or  more  each  summer,  helping  to  solidify 
Rock  Creek's  fame.  So,  it  was  natural  that  in  the  late  1960s, 
when  the  U.S.  Forest  Service  planned  extensive  logging  in 
the  drainage,  that  Rock  Creek  became  a  hotbed  of  vigilance 
for  people  with  fishing  and  hunting  interests. 

Tom  Huff,  a  Trout  Unlimited  member,  put  the  battle  into 
perspective.  "Of  all  the  fisheries  within  a  reasonable  proxim- 
ity of  Missoula.  Rock  Creek  is  the  most  extraordinary — a 
pristine,  beautiful,  productive  fishery.  But  there  was  no 
mechanism  in  the  Forest  Service  to  listen  to  concerns.  They 
hadn't  thought  about  any  values  other  than  cutting  trees  and 
didn't  know  how  to  cope  with  public  opinion  or  amenities 
like  fishing.  No  one  had  ever  questioned  Forest  Service 
actions.  Rock  Creek,  with  its  cadre  of  citizens  wanting  to 
protect  fishing,  hunting,  and  water  quality,  became  a  key 
proving  ground  for  bringing  the  NEPA  [National  Environ- 
mental Policy  Act]  process,  with  its  mandate  for  public 
participation,  into  standard  use  in  the  Forest  Service." 

Huff  and  Eudaily  recall  that  the  final  decision  in  a  debate 
that  raged  for  three  years  came  down  to  this:  maintaining 
Rock  Creek's  water  quality  was  the  bottom  line.  Any  re- 
source activities  had  to  be  filtered  through  that  screen  before 


20    MAV/HM  1998    MONTANA  OUTDOORS 


the  Forest  Service  should  allow  it. 

But  as  Eudaily  points  out,  "Rock  Creek  is  a  place  where 
you  could  never  let  your  vigilance  down  for  very  long."  So  in 
1984  when  huge  regional  powerlines  were  planned  to  cross 
the  lower  part  of  the  drainage,  it  was  not  surprising  that  three 
groups  quickly  galvanized  into  action  and  appealed  the 
proposed  routing  of  the  lines  across  the  famous  fishing  stream 
and  wildlife  habitat  in  five  potential  wilderness  areas.  While 
the  groups  did  not  succeed  in  rerouting  the  lines,  the  Montana 
Wildlife  Federation,  the  National  Wildlife  Federation,  and  the 
West  Slope  Chapter  of  Trout  Unlimited  came  away  with 
$1.65  million  in  mitigation  monies  that  would  be  held  in  trust 
and  dedicated  to  conservation  activities  in  the  Rock  Creek 
drainage. 

The  settlement  agreement  created  the  Rock  Creek  Advi- 
sory Council,  whose  job  it  was  to  evaluate  and  oversee 
expenditures  from  the  fund  to  further  conservation  throughout 
the  Rock  Creek  drainage.  Specifically,  the  emphasis  was  to 
be  on  acquiring  conservation  easements. 

The  council's  membership  consisted  of  representatives  of 
the  three  conservation  groups  plus  two  landowners  and, 
because  of  their  support  roles  during  the  appeal  process,  a 
representative  each  from  the  Department  of  Natural  Re- 
sources and  Conservation  and  Montana  Fish,  Wildlife  &  Parks. 


The  Rock  Creek  Trust  was  originally  created  as  a  quasi- 
governmental  organization  administered  by  the  Department 
of  Natural  Resources  and  Conservation.  Although  that 
arrangement  worked  well  enough,  structurally  it  was  confus- 
ing— "quasi-governmental"  was  simply  a  difficult  term  to 
explain  to  landowners  or  anybody  else.  In  1995  the  trust 
became  part  of  the  Five  Valleys  Land  Trust,  a  private, 
nonprofit  land  trust  housed  in  Missoula,  and  the  Rock  Creek 
Advisory  Council  became,  simply,  the  Rock  Creek  Council. 
The  Rock  Creek  Trust's  mission  remained  exactly  the  same: 
to  protect  the  conservation  values  in  Rock  Creek,  primarily 
through  the  use  of  conservation  easements. 

To  date,  the  trust,  either  alone  or  with  partners,  has 
protected  over  4,600  acres  and  1 1 .5  miles  of  stream  frontage 
in  Rock  Creek.  Each  easement  is  different,  designed  to  meet 
the  needs  of  the  landowner  and  to  protect  the  specific 
characteristics  of  each  piece  of  land. 

"The  Rock  Creek  Trust  works  only  in  Rock  Creek."  says 
John  McBride.  chair  of  the  Rock  Creek  Council.  "We  need  to 
be  able  to  work  with  all  kinds  of  landowners  who  have 
varying  goals  if  we  are  to  make  our  drainage-wide  conserva- 
tion goals  work  for  everyone."  He  adds  that  the  body  of  the 
trust's  work  shows  how  this  has  been  accomplished  over  the 
last  decade. 


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Thanks  to  the  cooperative  efforts  of  the  Rock  Creek  Trust,  its  partners,  and  area  landowners,  conservation  easements  now 
protect  more  than  4.600  acres  and  1 .5  miles  of  stream  frontage  in  the  Rock  Creek  drainage. 


MONTANA  OUTDOORS    mayhuni  21 


The  two  earliest  projects  of  the  trust  were  fee  title  pur- 
chases of  two  of  the  largest  remaining  parcels  in  the  lower 
drainage.  There  was  serious  discussion  about  whether  the 
council  wanted  to  own — and  manage — property.  Given  that 
there  was  an  important  opportunity  at  hand,  however,  the 
decision  was  made  to  proceed.  "We  decided  it  would  make 
sense  in  the  long  run  to  purchase  with  the  intent  to  pass  the 
property  along  to  someone  else — a  private  landowner,"  says 
Carol  Fischer,  the  first  chair  of  the  council. 

So  in  1987,  the  trust  purchased  130-acre  Spring  Creek 
Woods  in  partnership  with  FWP  and  a  conservation  easement 
was  designed.  The  protected  property  was  eventually  traded 
to  an  upper  Rock  Creek  landowner  in  exchange  for  a  conser- 
vation easement  on  a  large  ranch. 

The  neighboring  244-acre  Handley  Ranch  was  purchased 
by  the  trust  in  1989.  This  project  involved  an  innovative 
series  of  transactions — a  land  trade,  the  purchase,  the  creation 
of  a  conservation  easement  with  a  life-estate  for  a  family 
member  who  wished  to  stay  on  the  ranch,  and  the  eventual 
resale  of  the  land  to  a  private  buyer.  Both  the  Handley  Ranch 
and  Spring  Creek  Woods  are  now  owned  by  private  individu- 
als who  have  built  their  own  homes  on  their  properties.  No 
subdivision  is  permitted  under  the  terms  of  the  easements. 

Another  key  parcel,  164  acres  at  the  mouth  of  Rock  Creek, 
was  about  to  be  subdivided  in  1991.  The  long-time  landowner 
was  unable  to  take  advantage  of  a  conservation  easement  for 
a  variety  of  reasons.  Greg  Tollefson.  then  council  chair,  was 
able  to  work  with  new  buyers  and  put  an  easement  in  place. 
"This  turned  out  to  be  a  'win-win'  situation  for  the  landowner 


and  the  eventual  purchasers,"  recalls  Tollefson.  "We  were 
able  to  bring  together  a  landowner  who  needed  to  sell  and 
conservation-minded  buyers  who  were  willing  to  accept 
perpetual  restrictions  that  would  assure  the  protection  of  the 
natural  and  scenic  values  so  important  at  the  entrance  to  the 
Rock  Creek  watershed." 

In  the  trust's  early  days,  the  Helena-based  Montana  Land 
Reliance  was  another  frequent  partner  because  the  trust's 
quasi-governmental  status  prevented  it  from  holding  the 
easements  it  obtained.  John  Wilson,  conservation  director  for 
the  reliance,  helped  find  buyers  for  the  property  at  the  mouth 
of  Rock  Creek  and  craft  the  easement  that  is  in  place  today. 

The  trust  and  Montana  Land  Reliance  also  teamed  up  to 
make  conservation  inroads  in  the  upper  Rock  Creek  drainage. 
Bob  and  Evelyn  Neal  of  the  T-Heart  Ranch,  30  miles  up- 
stream from  the  mouth,  took  the  first  step,  placing  over  900 
acres  and  five  miles  of  Rock  Creek  stream  frontage  under 
easement  in  1992.  The  Neals,  a  third-generation  Rock  Creek 
ranching  family,  are  advocates  for  using  conservation 
easements  in  the  area  to  help  keep  open  ranch  land  produc- 
tive. In  1997  they  placed  another  160  acres  of  their  ranch 
along  Stony  Creek  under  easement.  After  some  initial 
skepticism.  Bob  Neal  has  become  a  strong  advocate  of  private 
land  protection  with  conservation  easements.  "I'm  in  as  good 
a  position  as  anybody  to  speak  on  behalf  of  conservation 
easements.  I  encourage  others  to  consider  them,  too,"  Neal  says. 

Two  neighboring  landowners  followed  Neal's  advice.  In 
1993  Ed  Elliott  placed  a  conservation  easement  on  the  1,364- 
acre  Rock  Creek  Ranch,  just  downstream  from  the  Neal 


The  Rock  Creek 
Watershed 


m  Lakes  and  Reservoirs 
~~j  RCT  Easement    Project* 
■  WUdemes»  Area* 
1  National  Forest  Lands 
f~*"l  BLML 
■I  State  Lands 

)  Plum  Creek  Lands 
Other  Private  Lands 


0  5  10    Mites 


64  miles  of  Rock  Creek  frontage  are  in  private  ownership 


Rock  Creek  is 
home  to  deer,  elk, 
moose  (left),  urn/  a 
world-class  herd 
of  bighorn  sheep 
(above). 


22     MAI  mm   1998     MONTANA  OUTDOORS 


Since  the  1970s,  hunters  and  anglers  have  rallied  to  protect  Rock  Creek  from  extensive  logging  and  development.  In  the  1980s, 
a  $1 .65  million  settlement  to  mitigate  powerline  impacts  led  to  formation  of  the  Rock  Creek  Council  and  Rock  Creek  Trust. 


property.  Elliott,  a  20-year  Rock  Creek  landowner,  wanted  to 
assure  that  the  important  wildlife  values  of  his  ranch  re- 
mained protected  and  the  property  intact. 

Then  Dr.  Phil  Wright  placed  an  easement  on  his  nearby  34 
acres  at  the  mouth  of  Shively  Gulch.  Wright,  a  renowned 
ornithologist  and  Record  Keeper  Emeritus  of  the  Boone  and 
Crockett  Club,  had  a  deep  affection  for  his  place  on  Rock 
Creek  and  wanted  to  make  sure  the  aspen  grove  and  the 
wildflower  meadow  with  its  beaver  pond  and  moose  habitat 
would  always  remain  as  he  knew  them.  Dr.  Wright  died  in 
1997,  but  not  before  his  dream  for  the  property  was  assured. 

The  Rock  Creek  Ranch,  Ed  Elliott's  property,  contained 
significant  timber  resources  in  addition  to  native  grassland 
critical  to  the  world-class  herd  of  bighorn  sheep  that  frequent 
the  ranch.  His  question  to  the  Rock  Creek  Advisory  Council 
was  this:  Could  he  put  an  easement  in  place  to  protect  the 
conservation  values  and  still  harvest  timber  if  he  should  need 
the  revenue  some  day? 

The  council  said  yes,  as  long  as  the  timber  harvest  plan 
took  into  account  the  needs  of  the  bighorn  sheep,  elk,  and 
mule  deer,  and  as  long  as  the  plan  also  considered  the 
landscape  of  the  adjacent  public  land  proposed  for  wilderness 
designation.  Elliott  agreed  and  a  site-specific  timber  harvest 


plan  was  designed  for  inclusion  in  the  easement. 

Financial  questions  about  future  use  of  the  land  often  arise 
when  landowners  consider  placing  a  permanent  conservation 
easement  on  their  land.  Ron  Spoon  and  Jodie  Canfield,  both 
professional  biologists,  own  58  acres  at  the  confluence  of  the 
East  and  Middle  forks  of  Rock  Creek.  They  came  to  the  trust 
in  1995  wanting  to  know  more  about  conservation  easements 
and  how  they  work. 

"We  were  interested  in  the  long-term  stewardship  of  the 
biological  components,  but  we  were  also  interested  in  being 
able  to  live  on  the  land,"  says  Jodie  Canfield.  "What  we 
wanted  to  see  was  whether  the  conservation  easement  would 
allow  us  to  do  that  and  also  allow  us  to  make  a  living  if  we 
ever  wanted  to  have  a  permanent  residence  in  Rock  Creek." 
Working  with  Spoon  and  Canfield,  the  Rock  Creek  Council 
created  an  easement  that  allows  a  variety  of  compatible 
economic  uses  while  still  protecting  open  space  and  key 
biological  elements  of  the  land. 

The  council  has  also  worked  with  landowners  to  protect 
smaller  parcels  of  land  along  the  creek,  especially  in  areas 
that  are  subject  to  intense  pressure  from  subdivision  and 
residential  development.  Kim  Reineking.  one  of  the  current 
Trout  Unlimited  representatives  on  the  council,  donated  an 


MONTANA  OUTDOORS    may/june  1998    23 


easement  on  his  six-acre  parcel  in  the  lower  drainage  in  1996. 
Reineking  joined  four  other  neighbors  (A.J.  Michnevich, 
Hope  and  Jock  Schwank,  Sue  and  Marcelo  Norona,  and  one 
anonymous  landowner),  to  help  protect  the  remaining  open 
space.  "As  a  council  member,  I  was  eager  to  donate  my 
easement.  I  didn't  want  to  see  my  own  parcel  further  divided, 
and  I  was  very  pleased  to  join  a  number  of  my  neighbors  who 
felt  the  same  way,"  Reineking  says. 

The  decision  to  assist  owners  of  smaller  parcels  with 
conservation  easements  took  the  council  into  new  territory, 
but  it  made  sense  for  the  drainage-wide  conservation  goals  of 
the  Rock  Creek  Trust.  McBride,  the  council  chair,  explains 
the  decision  this  way.  "Our  attitude  toward  small  parcel 
protection  is  that  for  the  lower  drainage  it  is  just  about  as 


Protecting  water  quality  and  streamside  habitat  are  essential 
in  maintaining  Rock  Creek' s  blue-ribbon  trout  fishery. 


important  as  protecting  those  larger  ranches  in  the  upper 
drainage.  For  years  people  have  come  to  Rock  Creek's 
defense.  Lower  Rock  Creek  is  the  entry  point  for  many  Rock 
Creek  visitors.  But,  because  of  its  proximity  to  Missoula,  it 
also  has  more  development.  If  it  becomes  thoroughly  devel- 
oped, we're  afraid  Rock  Creek  will  lose  some  of  its  open 
space  appeal,  as  well  as  some  of  those  dependable  advocates 
who  have  been  so  important  in  fighting  the  good  fight  for  the 
drainage.  While  the  trust  can't  protect  all  the  smaller  pieces, 
we  certainly  do  encourage  neighbors  to  work  together  with  us 
to  help  keep  the  open  feeling  in  the  lower  drainage  just  as 
Kim  and  A.J.  Michnevich  and  their  neighbors  have  done." 

Now  comes  the  most  recent  work  of  the  Rock  Creek  Trust, 
the  completion  of  the  easement  on  the  Castle  Rock  Ranch 
with  the  Gillies  family  in  upper  Rock  Creek.  With  1.5  miles 
of  Rock  Creek  stream  frontage,  including  the  Willow  Creek 
confluence,  the  protection  of  this  1,554-acre  ranch  forms  a 
critical  link  with  lands  already  protected  by  conservation 


easements  immediately  downstream. 

The  family  approached  the  Rock  Creek  Trust  to  discuss  an 
easement  on  the  ranch  for  a  number  of  reasons:  There  are 
three  family  member  owners  and  two  of  them  live  away  from 
the  ranch,  and  there  were  three  daughters  to  consider.  It  was 
time  to  think  about  estate  planning — how  do  you  provide  for 
off-ranch  family  members  when  your  major  asset  is  land? 

For  families  with  land,  times  of  transition  are  often  the 
time  when  conservation  easements  are  considered.  And  then 
there  was  history  and  a  love  of  the  land.  Jim  Gillies  puts  it 
simply.  "Basically,  we're  trying  to  keep  this  land  in  the 
ranching  business  rather  than  the  subdivision  business." 
Estate  and  income  tax  benefits,  combined  with  partial 
payments  for  the  easement,  helped  solve  the  problem. 

This  large  project  wouldn't  have  been  possible  without  the 
strong  partnership  of  the  Rock  Creek  Trust  with  Montana 
Fish,  Wildlife  &  Parks.  Public  access,  not  a  requirement  in  all 
conservation  easements,  was  a  part  of  this  one.  It  was  key  in 
obtaining  $500,000  from  FWP's  bighorn  sheep  permit  fund 
and  $100,000  from  the  fishing  access  fund.  The  trust  added 
$314,000  portion  to  the  total,  confirming  protection  for  the 
rest  of  the  ranch. 

In  addition  to  the  original  trust  funds,  the  Rock  Creek 
Trust  has  had  a  generous  number  of  donors,  ranging  from 
individuals  and  foundations  to  landowners  who  have  made 
significant  individual  donations  as  part  of  the  easement 
process.  As  a  result,  the  trust  has  been  able  to  leverage  the 
initial  funding  into  far  more  dollars  in  on-the-ground  conser- 
vation. 

Although  the  fund  remains  healthy  today,  it  has  dimin- 
ished over  the  years.  Designed  as  an  "expendable"  trust,  the 
money  has  been  spent  on  getting  the  conservation  work  done. 
Tom  France,  an  attorney  with  the  National  Wildlife  Federa- 
tion, helped  fight  the  original  battle  and  negotiate  the  settle- 
ment that  resulted  in  the  Rock  Creek  Trust.  "We  never 
expected  that  this  much  land  protection  would  have  been 
accomplished  with  the  funds  we  obtained.  The  trust  and  the 
council  have  been  good  stewards  and  the  intended  goals  are 
being  achieved,"  France  says  today. 

But  a  lot  of  work  remains.  "Other  landowners  are  inter- 
ested," says  the  council's  John  McBride.  "We're  embarking 
on  a  major  fund-raising  drive  and  we  are  always  looking  for 
partners.  We  still  have  a  number  of  very  specific  conservation 
goals  for  Rock  Creek,  and  we  intend  to  achieve  them." 

According  to  McBride,  those  goals  are  focused  on  keeping 
much  of  the  Rock  Creek  drainage  just  as  it  is  today.  "Rock 
Creek  is  a  remarkable  place  and  is  important  regionally  and 
nationally  as  part  of  the  wild  lands  that  extend  all  the  way 
down  the  Rocky  Mountains  from  Canada  to  Yellowstone 
Park." 

People  who  love  Rock  Creek  agree.  ■ 


Anyone  interested  in  helping  protect  Rock  Creek  can 
contact  the  trust  at  P.O.  Box  8953,  Missoula,  MT  59807,  or 
call  406-728-284 1. 


24     MAY/JUNEI998    MONTANA  OUTDOORS 


photography  by  Donald  M.  Jones 


!&jwh£HI 


m 


;;■.■■»■■■■./•■. 


The  old  saying,  "I  may  have  been  born  in 
the  dark,  but  I  wasn't  born  yesterday"  ap- 
plies— figuratively  and  literally — to  Montana's 
black  bear  cubs  when  they  emerge  from 
their  dens  in  the  spring.  Although  they  are 
born  bljrid,  toothless,  and  nearly  hairless-j 
'"fling  only  about  a  pound— in  mic1 


winter,  they  grow  quickly  By  the  time  they 
leave  the  den  with  their  mother  in  April  or 
May,  they  weigh  about  five  pounds,  have 
hair,  teeth,  and  claws,  and  can  run  and 
climb.  Scientists  describe  them  as  "active" 
and  "precocious,"  but  words  like  rambunc- 


*W.V 


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Perspectives 


Maturing  in  the  safety  of  the  den  for  three  months  gives 
black  bear  cubs  a  leg  up  on  survival  when  they  emerge 
into  a  world  of  predators  (including  other  bears)  and 
spring  food  scarcity. 

Although  young  cubs  can  eat  plants  and  insects,  they 
continue  to  nurse  for  several  weeks. 


26     MAYflUNI  8    MONTANA  OUTDOORS 


First-time  mothers  typically  give  birth  to  one  cub, 
but  after  that  two  or  three  cubs  are  more  com- 
mon. 


MONTANA  OUTDOORS    may/june  1998     27 


Sharp  claws  and  climbing  skills 
allow  cubs  to  scurry  up  a  tree  at 
the  first  sign  of  danger. 


In  fact,  a  tree  is  a  pretty  safe  place  for  a  nap. 


28     MAYflUNEWS    MONTANA  OUTDOORS 


Catchall 


Glacier  Institute:  The  First  Fifteen  Years 


In  the  early  1980s,  two  people  with 
a  love  for  the  natural  environment  and 
concern  about  its  future  met  and  shared 
long-standing  dreams  of  a  Glacier 
National  Park-based  institution  that 
would  educate  people  about  the  region 
and  help  promote  its  protection. 
Geologist  Lex  Blood  and  biologist 
Ursula  Mattson  began  shaping  the 
common  vision  that  became  the  Glacier 
Institute. 

Mattson.  resident  and  researcher  in 
the  region  since  1961,  felt  educating 
people  was  a  way  she  could  repay  the 
area  for  which  she  had  developed  a 
strong  emotional  attachment.  Blood,  a 
Flathead  resident  since  1973,  says, 
"'Education  is  so  critically  important  to 
bring  about  understanding  and  resolu- 
tion of  conflicts  existing  in  our  use  of 
the  natural  environment." 

With  initial  support  from  Glacier 
National  Park,  Flathead  Valley  Com- 
munity College  and  the  Glacier  Natural 
History  Association,  the  Glacier 
Institute  became  a  reality  in  1983  and 
the  following  summer  nine  classes 
convened. 

Today,  the  institute  enjoys  the 
support  of  two  additional  cooperating 


agencies:  the  Flathead  National  Forest 
and  Montana  Fish.  Wildlife  &  Parks. 
Over  50  adult  field  courses  are  offered 
each  year,  as  well  as  teacher  work- 
shops, youth  science  camps,  and 
residential  school  programs  for  grades 
K-12.  From  "Glacier's  Harlequins"  to 
"Wild  Medicinal  Herbs,"  all  institute 
programs  take  participants  into  the  field 
to  experience  firsthand  the  rich  natural 
and  cultural  heritage  of  the  Glacier 
area.  Two  residential  facilities,  the 
Glacier  Park  Field  Camp  and  Big  Creek 
Outdoor  Education  Center,  serve  as 
home  base  for  Glacier  Institute  programs. 

Institute  instructors,  many  of  them 
internationally  known  in  their  field, 
include  seasonal  park  rangers,  research 
biologists  and  ecologists.  artists, 
writers,  and  historians.  All  have 
intimate  familiarity  with  their  subjects 
and  the  region. 

Volunteers,  too,  fill  a  vital  niche  in 
institute  activities.  A  15-member  board 
of  directors  and  more  than  40  commit- 
tee members  donate  their  time  and 
resources  to  help  further  the  institute's 
mission.  In  addition,  many  on-site 
volunteers  enrich  programs  with  their 
unique  experiences  and  talents. 


The  Glacier  Institute  offers  more  than 
50  field  courses  each  year  to  adult 
students  from  around  the  country. 

To  help  celebrate  its  fifteenth  year, 
the  Glacier  Institute  has  plans  for  a 
number  of  anniversary  events  and 
programs.  To  learn  more  about  institute 
courses  and  this  year's  activities,  write 
to  P.O.  Box  7457.  Kalispell.  MT 
59904;  406-755- 1211  .—Rima  Nickell 


Montana  State  Parks  Calendar 


May 

16-17— Flathead  Lake  Paddlefest 

Try  different  types  of  sea  kayaks  at 
Flathead  Lake  State  Park,  Wayfarers 
Unit,  in  Bigfork.  Call  406-752-5501. 
17,  23 — Canoe  Demo  Days  at 
Frenchtown  State  Park 
Demonstrations  with  new  state-of-the- 
art  canoes  and  kayaks  take  place  from 
10:00  a.m.  to  4:00  p.m. 
23 — Bannack  Guided  Tours  Begin 
Call  for  tour  schedule:  406-834-3413. 
23-24 — Memorial  Day  Weekend  "Loon 
and  FLsh  Festival"  in  Seeley  Lake 
Art  show,  craft  sale,  guided  bird  walks, 
loon  talks,  and  calling  contest. 
29 — Evening  Campfire  Talks  begin 
at  Lewis  and  Clark  Caverns 


Talks  feature  historical  and  natural 
resource  topics.  Call  406-287-3541. 

June 

4 — Evening  Campfire  Programs 

Begin  at  Makoshika  State  Park 

Thursday  night  talks  include  paleontol- 
ogy, geology,  and  history.  Call  406- 
365-6256. 

6 — Nature  Movies  at  Lone  Pine  State 
Park  Visitor  Center 
Movies  at  the  visitor  center  from  10:00 
a.m.  to  2:30  p.m. 

7 — Saturday  Night  Campfire  Talks 
at  Missouri  Headwaters  State  Park 
Programs  begin  at  7:00  p.m.  each 
Saturday.  Call  406-994-6934. 
13 — Buzzard  Day  at  Makoshika 


Fun  runs,  "turkey  shoot,"  nature  walks, 

and  activities  for  the  whole  family.  Call 

406-365-6256. 

18 — Makoshika  Youth  Program  for 

ages  7-13 

Scheduled  each  Thursday  from  June  18 

through  July.  Call  406-365-6256. 

23 — Discovery  Days  at  Spring 

Meadow  Lake  State  Park 

Scheduled  every  Tuesday  for  seven 

weeks.  Educational  programs  for  8  to 

12  year  olds.  Call  406-449-8864,  ext. 

154. 

27 — Evening  Campfire  Talks  Begin 

at  Salmon  Lake  State  Park 

Saturday  night  talks  include  historical 

and  natural  resource  topics.  Call  406- 

542-5533. 


jacK 


^      ,   lr    with  his  re 
Housel,  V">  w 


his  mottled  sculpin. 


All  Fishes  Great  and  Small 

by  Dave  Books 


For  dedicated  angler  Jack  Housel, 
Jr..  of  Libby,  1997  was  a  roller-coaster 
ride.  On  August  1 1 ,  fishing  from  his 
favorite  rock  along  the  Kootenai  River 
above  David  Thompson  Bridge,  he 
landed  a  trout  weighing  a  tad  over  33 
pounds  and  measuring  almost  40  inches 
in  length — it  looked  like  a  state  record 
rainbow  trout,  but  was  it? 

Because  rainbow  and  cutthroat  trout 
hybridize,  the  fish  had  to  be  genetically 
analyzed  to  determine  its  taxonomic 
status.  Either  way,  Housel's  fish  was 
destined  for  the  record  book,  because  it 
exceeded  the  existing  records  for  both 
rainbow  trout  and  rainbow-cutthroat 
hybrids.  If  proven  to  be  a  rainbow, 
however,  Housel's  fish  would  also  be  a 
world  record,  besting  the  existing  mark 
by  more  than  a  pound.  After  two 
months  of  suspense,  the  word  came 
back  from  the  lab:  rainbow  trout. 

For  the  next  five  months,  Housel's 
rainbow  stood  as  an  all-tackle  world 
record.  But  the  roller-coaster  ride 
wasn't  over.  In  February,  the  National 
Fresh  Water  Fishing  Hall  of  Fame, 
which  verifies  records  from  its  head- 
quarters in  Hayward.  Wisconsin, 
accepted  a  37-pound  rainbow  caught  in 
1947  in  Lake  Pend  Oreille,  Idaho,  as  a 
new  world  record.  According  to  Hall  of 
Fame  officials,  new  information 
emerged  to  validate  this  fish.  Housel's 
rainbow  remains  as  a  Montana  record 
and  a  world  record  in  the  25-pound  line 
class. 


Interestingly,  notes  Housel.  if  it 
hadn't  been  for  a  treble  hook  separating 
from  his  lure,  he  might  have  broken  his 
own  state  record  just  a  few  months  later 
and  rendered  the  world  record  dispute 
moot.  Fishing  from  the  same  rock,  with 
the  same  1 -ounce  Pot-of-Gold  lure,  he 
hooked  an  even  bigger  fish.  "I  fought  it 
for  an  hour  and  a  half,"  he  says,  "but  I 
was  alone  and  couldn't  get  it  in  the  net. 
It  was  at  least  as  big  and  probably 
bigger  than  my  earlier  fish." 

Like  Jack  Housel,  Bozeman  angler 
Blaine  Grisak  made  a  record  catch  in 
1997.  But  Grisak's  fish,  a  0.03-pound 
mottled  sculpin.  would  barely  have 
made  a  snack  for  Housel's  rainbow. 
New  to  the  fish  records  list,  the  mottled 
sculpin  is  a  native  species  that  lives 
primarily  in  cold  streams.  According  to 
A  Field  Guide  to  Montana  Fishes,  by 
George  D.  Holton  and  Howard  E. 
Johnson,  "sculpins  are  small,  bottom- 
dwelling. ..fishes  with  large,  flattened 
heads  and  fanlike  pectoral  fins." 
Celebrating  his  fourth  birthday  on  the 
day  he  caught  his  sculpin  in  Sheep 
Creek  (Meagher  County).  Blaine  was 
fishing  with  his  dad.  The  3.9-inch 
sculpin  fell  for  a  young  angler's  best 
friend — an  earthworm. 

One  other  fish  was  added  to  the 
records  list  in  1997:  the  tiger  trout.  This 
unusual  hybrid — a  cross  between  a 
brook  trout  and  brown  trout — has  the 
markings  of  a  tiger  or  giraffe.  Bozeman 
resident  Joe  Sobczak  caught  his  4.04- 


pound  trout  on  a  Woolly  Bugger  with 
maggot  while  ice  fishing  in  Bear  Lake 
in  the  upper  Big  Hole  drainage. 

Two  other  record  fish  were  taken  in 
1997.  Robert  Reishus  of  Dupuyer, 
fishing  with  bow  and  arrow,  edged  the 
existing  carp  record  with  a  39.77-pound 
specimen  from  Eyraud  (sometimes 
spelled  Arod)  Lakes.  The  previous 
record  was  a  38.50-pound  fish  taken  in 
1 986  from  the  same  water. 

Bainville  angler  Vernon  Pacovsky 
stayed  close  to  home  to  land  a  state 
record  white  bass.  His  fish,  taken  on  a 
minnow  in  Bainville  Slough,  weighed 
1.79  pounds,  besting  the  existing  record 
by  more  than  half  a  pound.  White  bass 
are  not  native  to  Montana  but  made 
their  way  upstream  into  portions  of  the 
Missouri  River  drainage  in  eastern 
Montana  from  Lake  Sakakawea  in 
North  Dakota. 

What  should  you  do  if  you  think 
you've  caught  a  state  record  fish?  First, 
you  must  catch  the  fish  legally.  Second, 
you  must  weigh  your  fish  before 
witnesses  on  a  government-inspected 
scale  such  as  those  found  in  most 
grocery  stores.  Weighing  it  as  soon  as 
possible  is  a  good  idea,  since  fish 
rapidly  lose  the  precious  ounces  that 
can  spell  the  difference  between  a 
record  and  a  runner-up.  Third,  an  FWP 
employee  must  positively  identify  the 
fish.  It's  also  a  good  idea  to  take  color 
photos  of  the  fish  to  help  resolve  any 
identification  problems. 


30    muiMi™    MONTANA  OUTDOORS 


Montana's  Record-Setting  Fish  ( 1 997) 


Species 


Weight 


Angler 


Year     Location 


Arctic  grayling 
Bigmouth  buffalo 
Black  bullhead 
Black  crappie 
Blue  sucker 
Bluegill 
Brook  trout 
Brown  trout 
Bull  trout 
Burbot  (ling) 
Carp* 
Channel  catfish 

Chinook  (king  salmon) 
Cisco 

Coho  salmon 
Cutthroat  trout 
Flathead  chub 
Freshwater  drum 
Golden  trout 
Goldeye 
Green  sunfish 
Kokanee  (salmon) 
Lake  trout 
Lake  whitefish 
Largemouth  bass 
Largescale  Sucker 
Longnose  sucker 
Mottled  Sculpin" 
Mountain  whitefish 
Northern  pike 
Northern  squawfish 
Paddlefish 
Peamouth 
Pumpkinseed 
Pygmy  whitefish 
Rainbow  trout* 

Rainbow-cutthroat  hybrid 

River  carpsucker 

Rock  bass 

Sauger 

Shorthead  redhorse  sucker 

Shortnose  gar 

Shovelnose  sturgeon 

Smallmouth  bass 

Smallmouth  buffalo 

Stonecat 

Tiger  muskellunge 

Tiger  Trout" 

Utah  chub 

Walleye 

White  bass* 

White  crappie 

White  sturgeon 

White  sucker 

Yellow  bullhead 

Yellow  perch 


3.21  lbs. 

57.75  lbs. 

2.33  lbs. 

3.13  lbs. 

1 1 .46  lbs. 

2.64  lbs. 

9.06  lbs. 

29.00  lbs. 

25.63  lbs. 

17.08  lbs. 

39.77  lbs. 

25.89  lbs. 

31.13  lbs. 

1.46  lbs. 

4.88  lbs. 

16.00  lbs. 

0.31  lbs. 

20.44  lbs. 

4.90  lbs. 

2.91  lbs. 

0.56  lbs. 

5.94  lbs. 

42.00  lbs. 

10.08  lbs. 

8.16  lbs. 

5.06  lbs. 

3.27  lbs. 

0.03  lbs. 

5.09  lbs. 

37.50  lbs. 

7.88  lbs. 

142.50  lbs. 

0.64  lbs. 

0.95  lbs. 

0.16  lbs. 

33.1  lbs. 

30.25  lbs. 

3.50  lbs. 

0.57  lbs. 

8.81  lbs. 

4.68  lbs. 

3.06  lbs. 

13.72  lbs. 

6.10  lbs. 

32.63  lbs. 

0.54  lbs. 

27.00  lbs. 

4.04  lbs. 

1.81  lbs. 

16.38  lbs. 

1.79  lbs. 

3.68  lbs. 

96.00  lbs. 

5.33  lbs. 

0.84  lbs. 

2.37  lbs. 

Frederick  C.  Dahl 
Craig  D.  Grassel 
Darwin  Zempel.  Jr. 
Al  Elser 
Doug  Askin 
Brent  Fladmo 
John  R.  Cook 
E.H.  "Peck"  Bacon 
James  Hyer 
Jeff  E.  Iwen 
Robert  Reishus 
Gordon  Wentworth 
Tom  Hilderman  (tie) 
Carl  L.  Niles 
Jim  Liebelt 
Irven  Stohl 
William  D.  Sands 
Matt  Sloat 
Richard  C.  Lee 
Carl  Radonski 
Vance  "Bubba"  Kielb 
Roger  Fliger 
Forrest  Johnson 
Dave  Larson 
Theo  Hamby 
Juanita  A.  Fanning 
Loren  Kujawa 
Ray  Quigley 
Blaine  X.  Grisak 
Mervin  "Frog"  Fenimore 
Lance  Moyler 
Darrel  Torgrimson 
Larry  Branstetter 
Gordon  Stewart 
Tim  Colver 
Orlin  Iverson 
Jack  Housel.  Jr. 

Pat  Kelly 
James  Jessen 
Don  Holzheimer 
Gene  Moore 
Ray  Quigley 
John  Johnson 
Sidney  L.  Storm 
Mike  Otten 
Richard  Liesener 
Dale  Bjerga 
Dan  Dupea 
Joe  Sobczak 
Eugene  Bastian 
Steven  McMorris 
Vernon  Pacovsky 
Gene  Bassett 
Herb  Stout 
Fred  Perry 
Mike  Vaughn 
Vernon  Schmid 


1994 

Handkerchief  Lake 

1994 

Nelson  Reservoir 

1994 

Lower  Flathead  River 

1973 

Tongue  River  Reservoir 

1989 

Yellowstone  River  (near  Miles  City) 

1983 

Peterson's  Stock  Dam 

1940 

Lower  Two  Medicine  Lake 

1966 

Wade  Lake 

1916 

unknown 

1989 

Missouri  River  (near  Wolf  Point) 

1997 

Eyraud  Lakes 

1984 

Fort  Peck  Reservoir 

1988 

Fort  Peck  Reservoir 

1991 

Fort  Peck  Reservoir 

1990 

Dredge  Cut  Trout  Pond 

1973 

Fort  Peck  Reservoir 

1955 

Red  Eagle  Lake 

1996 

Missouri  River  (Fred  Robinson  Bridge) 

1987 

Fort  Peck  Reservoir 

1993 

Lightning  Lake 

1989 

Irrigation  canal  (west  of  Malta) 

1991 

Castle  Rock  Reservoir 

1976 

Pishkun  Reservoir 

1979 

Flathead  Lake  (east  shore) 

1995 

Lower  St.  Mary  Lake 

1984 

Milnor  Lake 

1996 

Kootenai  River 

1988 

Marias  River 

1997 

Sheep  Creek  (Meagher  Co.) 

1987 

Kootenai  River 

1972 

Tongue  River  Reservoir 

1991 

Noxon  Rapids  Reservoir 

1973 

Missouri  River 

1991 

Ashley  Creek 

1985 

Milnor  Lake 

1982 

Ashley  Lake 

1997 

Kootenai  River  (David  Thompson 

Bridge) 

1982 

Ashley  Lake 

1991 

Yellowstone  River  near  Terry 

1989 

Tongue  River  Reservoir 

1994 

Fort  Peck  Reservoir 

1985 

Marias  River  near  Loma 

1977 

Fort  Peck  dredge  cuts 

1986 

Missouri  River 

1996 

Fort  Peck  Reservoir 

1994 

Nelson  Reservoir 

1996 

Milk  River 

1994 

Lebo  Lake 

1997 

Bear  Lake 

1992 

Canyon  Ferry  Reservoir 

1996 

Cooney  Reservoir 

1997 

Bainville  Slough 

1996 

Tongue  River  Reservoir 

1968 

Kootenai  River 

1983 

Nelson  Reservoir 

1996 

Corner's  Bass  Pond 

1988 

Ashley  Lake 

*New  Montana  record  for  1997 


*New  to  Montana's  record  list 


From  the  Field 


Sunnyslope  Grayling  Defy  the  Odds 


by  Bruce  Auchly 

Region  4  Information  Officer 

Conservation  Education  Division 

Imagine  a  pair  of  grizzlies  living  in 
an  urban  backyard.  Imagine  pallid 
sturgeon  flourishing  in  a  rancher's  stock 
tank.  Imagine  Arctic  grayling  surviving 
year  after  year  in  an  irrigation  ditch. 

Okay,  forget  the  first  two  as  flights 
of  fancy.  But  the  last  improbable 
scenario  is  true.  A  sparse  yet  self- 
sustaining  population  of  Arctic  grayling 
has  survived  for  decades  in  the 
Sunnyslope  Irrigation  Canal.  The 
canal  spills  out  of  Pishkun 
Reservoir,  which  lies  between 
Choteau  ^^^ 
and 

Augusta 
along  the 
East  Front 
of  the 
Rockies, 
and  runs 
32 

miles  to 
Fairfield. 
Greenfields 

Irrigation  District  operates  the  canal, 
which  serves  the  farms  and  ranches  of 
the  Fairfield  bench. 

"The  grayling  are  unique  in  the  fact 
that  they  exist,"  Scott  Barndt  says. 
Currently  with  the  U.S.  Fish  and 
Wildlife  Service  in  Washington,  Barndt 
earned  his  master's  degree  in  1996 
from  Montana  State  University  (MSU) 
studying  the  Sunnyslope  grayling. 
"They  are  the  only  known  population 
that  has  been  started  from  scratch  in  at 
least  a  partially  fluvial,  or  river, 
environment." 

The  Arctic  grayling  is  one  of  the 
odder  citizens  of  the  freshwater  fish 
world.  Sometimes  mistaken  for  its 
lowly  cousin  the  mountain  whitefish.  it 
has  a  small,  slender  body.  The  current 
state  record  grayling,  caught  in  Hand- 
kerchief Lake  near  Columbia  Falls, 
weighed  3.21  pounds.  But  atop  the 


grayling's  sleek,  silver-flecked  body 
sits  a  large  dorsal  fin  swathed  in 
iridescent  shades  of  blue  and  green, 
even  tinges  of  pink  and  orange.  The 
male  grayling's  back  fin  looks  as  out  of 
place  as  a  tie-dyed  sail  on  a  Confeder- 
ate blockade  runner.  Yet  the  colorful 
back  fin  serves  its  evolutionary  goal — 
procreation. 

Barndt  says  the  male's  dorsal  fin 
serves  three  purposes:  to  ward  off  rival 
males,  attract  spawning  females,  and 
hold  females  during 

spawning.  When 


ILLUSTRATION  RY  GLENN  WEST 


male  grayling  are  setting  up  their 
territories  before  spawning,  they 
elevate  their  fin  to  impress  and  scare 
competitors.  Once  in  place,  the  males 
hope  to  attract  females  to  their  territory. 
"Males  will  display  their  fin  and  hope 
that  the  bigger  females  with  a  better 
chance  of  survival  will  respond," 
Barndt  says.  In  the  fish  world,  bigger 
females  are  good.  They  produce  more 
eggs,  and  they  have  survived  several 
growing  seasons,  an  indication  of  good 
genes.  And  luck,  too.  Finally,  when  a 
female  comes  alongside  a  male  to 
release  her  eggs,  the  male  will  fold  his 
dorsal  fin  over  her  to  hold  her,  then 
release  his  sperm  to  mix  with  the  eggs. 

The  purpose  of  the  female  Arctic 
grayling's  oversized  dorsal  fin  is  less 
clear.  While  it  is  not  as  big  as  the 
male's,  it  is  still  larger  than  that  of 


other  members  of  the  trout  family.  If  it 
is  for  swimming  in  strong  currents, 
then  for  seven  months  of  the  year  in  the 
Sunnyslope  Canal,  the  grayling's  tall 
dorsal  is  about  as  useless  as,  well,  a 
fish  out  of  water.  That's  because  from 
October  through  May  the  canal's  few 
hundred  grayling  live  in  13  pools  and 
puddles  fed  by  a  trickle  of  water 
leaking  through  the  canal  gates  in  the 
reservoir  dike  and  from  springs  in  the 
canal  bed. 

"Thirteen  pools  remain  through  the 
winter  after  the  canal  is  shut  down," 
Barndt  says,  "During  harsh  winters 
only  eight  remain  viable.  And  I  only 
documented  [grayling  in]  four." 

The  pools  lie  in  the  first  3.6  miles 
of  the  32-mile  canal. 

The  four  main 
pools  that 
hold 
grayling 
have  a 
combined 
length  of  376 
yards  and  range  from  9 
to  33  inches  deep  in  late  winter. 
Those  fish  that  make  it  through  the 
winter  (and  a  high  percentage  do) 
find  water,  water  everywhere  by  the 
middle  of  May  when  the  irrigation 
district  turns  on  the  tap.  At  a  maximum 
flow  of  1,677  cubic  feet  per  second 
(cfs)  the  canal  has  a  flow  equivalent  to 
the  lower  Madison  River  in  summer. 
"We're  not  talking  about  some  little 
ditch,"  says  Cal  Kaya,  MSU  biology 
professor  and  Barndt's  advisor.  "We're 
talking  about  a  large  volume  of  water." 
In  the  five  brief  months  of  abundant 
water,  the  Sunnyslope  grayling  must 
reproduce  and  the  offspring  must 
survive,  grow,  and  prepare  for  the 
coming  winter  crammed  into  aquatic 
tenement  houses.  "Grayling  in  the 
Arctic  do  very  similar  things,"  Barndt 
says.  "They'll  move  hundreds  of  miles 
between  river  systems.  Then,  fish  from 
different  populations  and  different  rivers 
will  converse  and  overwinter  at  the  same 


32     may  ji  ni  1998    MONTANA  OUTDOORS 


Tiny  radio  transmitters  (below)  implanted  in  Arctic 
grayling  allow  researchers  to  monitor  movements  and 
spawning  behavior.  At  left,  Scott  Barndt  radio-tracks 
grayling  in  the  Sunnyslope  Irrigation  Canal  as  part  of 
his  master's  degree  project  at  Montana  State  University. 


spring.  In  the  Arctic,  rivers  will  freeze 
solid  except  at  these  springs." 

The  Arctic  grayling,  a  native 
Montana  member  of  the  trout  family, 
was  first  described  by  Lewis  and  Clark. 
Worldwide  there  are  four  grayling 
species:  one  in  Europe,  two  in  Asia, 
and  the  Arctic  grayling,  which  once 
ranged  from  Siberia  to  Alaska  through 
much  of  Canada  and  south  into  Michigan 
and  Montana.  The  Michigan  grayling 
population  became  extinct  by  1936. 

Isolated  by  glaciers  12,000  to  15,000 
years  ago,  Montana's  grayling  popula- 
tion held  sway  in  rivers  and  streams  in 
the  upper  Missouri  River  drainage 
above  the  Great  Falls.  Most  lived  in  the 
Gallatin,  Jefferson,  and  Madison  rivers 
and  their  tributaries  and  a  few  remote 
locations  like  the  Smith  and  Sun  rivers. 
Lake-dwelling  grayling  existed  only  in 
upper  and  lower  Red  Rock  lakes  and 
possibly  Elk  Lake,  near  the  headwaters 
of  the  Red  Rock-Beaverhead  drainage. 

Man  reversed  that  situation  this 
century  by  altering  habitats,  overhar- 
vesting,  and  introducing  competing 
non-native  salmonids,  such  as  brook, 
rainbow,  and  brown  trout.  Currently, 
Montana's  Arctic  grayling  stronghold 
consists  of  populations  in  about  two 
dozen  lakes.  The  only  self-sustaining, 
river-dwelling  population  lives  in  the 
upper  Big  Hole  River  and  lower  parts 
of  its  tributaries;  it  is  genetically  and 
behaviorally  distinct  from  its  lake- 


dwelling  cousins.  Plans  are  afoot, 
however,  to  expand  the  state's  river- 
dwelling  grayling,  using  broodstock 
from  the  Big  Hole  River. 

"We  want  to  have  five  riverine 
populations  by  the  year  2020,"  says 
Chris  Hunter,  fisheries  special  projects 
bureau  chief  for  Montana  Fish,  Wildlife 
&  Parks  (FWP).  Last  year,  FWP 
fisheries  workers  planted  about  30.000 
grayling  in  the  upper  Ruby  River  and 
plan  to  do  the  same  this  year.  "Hope- 
fully, we'll  do  the  same  in  the  Sun 
River  this  year,  too,"  he  says. 

Another  stocking  effort  may  take 
place  in  Cherry  Creek,  a  tributary  of  the 
Madison  River.  "We  are  currently 
looking  at  getting  rid  of  the  creek's 
non-natives  and  reintroducing 
westslope  cutthroat  trout  and  grayling," 
says  Hunter. 

If  all  these  current  efforts  are 
successful — Big  Hole,  Ruby,  Sun,  and 
Cherry — FWP's  Fisheries  Division  still 
has  to  come  up  with  a  fifth  stream  for 
reintroduction  by  2001  in  order  to  meet 
the  2020  goal.  "To  demonstrate  we  are 
making  progress  by  2020,"  Hunter 
explains,  "we  need  to  monitor  them 
over  several  years." 

The  upper  Big  Hole  River  in  the 
summer  is  low,  warm,  and  "deoxygen- 
ated,"  Barndt  says.  The  reverse  is  true 
in  the  canal.  In  the  summer,  the  water  is 
high  and  full  of  oxygen,  then  low  in  the 
winter.  "When  water  in  the  canal  is 


low,  the  temperature  is  low  also,  but 
the  oxygen  is  not  too  low.  At  low 
temperatures,  grayling  can  withstand 
pretty  low  dissolved  oxygen  levels." 

"From  October  to  May,"  adds 
MSU's  Kaya,  "they  are  really  living  in 
what  amounts  to  a  series  of  small  ponds." 

Grayling  got  into  the  canal  from 
Pishkun  Reservoir.  The  reservoir  was 
stocked  at  least  seven  times  from  1937 
through  1943.  It's  not  known  how  long 
it  took  the  species  to  become  self- 
sustaining  in  the  canal,  but  in  1971  an 
FWP  fisheries  biologist  reported 
grayling  there. 

Even  though  the  canal's  grayling 
have  water  and  oxygen  at  the  right  time 
of  year,  they  must  still  avoid  competi- 
tion and  predators,  mainly  from 
rainbow  trout  and  northern  pike. 
Historically,  Arctic  grayling  in  Montana 
only  had  to  live  with  10  other  fish 
species,  including  two  salmonids — 
westslope  cutthroat  and  mountain 
whitefish.  The  introduction  of  rainbow, 
brook,  and  brown  trout  brought  in 
competition  grayling  had  not  evolved  with. 

Rainbows  compete  with  grayling  for 
spawning  areas  and  food.  In  the  upper 
Big  Hole  River,  grayling  are  hanging 
on  in  part  because  they  have  little 
competition.  In  the  canal,  salmonid 
competition  is  also  scant  because  of  the 
absence  of  the  right  gravel  for  rainbows 
to  build  spawning  nests,  or  redds. 
"Grayling  have  the  least  stringent 


MONTANA  OUTDOORS    may/june  iws    33 


spawning  requirements  of  the  salmo- 
nids,"  Barndt  says.  "They  don't  build 
redds.  They  broadcast  spawn." 

Northern  pike,  as  the  grayling's 
main  predator  in  the  canal,  would 
appear  to  have  an  ideal  banquet  in  the 
winter  when  all  fish  are  confined  to 
small  pools.  But  northerns  don't  spend 
the  winter  in  constricted  pools  with 
grayling.  In  two  falls  and  three  springs 
of  netting  the  canal.  Barndt  found  only 
eight  adult  rainbows  and  eight  adult 
northern  pike.  He  did,  however,  capture 
more  than  100  juvenile  northern  pike. 
The  few  adults  indicate  those  juveniles 
don't  overwinter.  "Northern  pike  get 
flushed  out  of  the  system,"  Kaya  says. 
"If  that  were  not  the  case,  I  think  this 
small  grayling  population  would  have  a 
hard  time  surviving." 

For  anclers  who  would  like  to  catch 


a  grayling,  nearby  Tunnel  Lake 
provides  a  good  fishery.  FWP  fishing 
regulations  forbid  keeping  any  grayling 
caught  in  the  canal,  though  the  daily 
and  possession  limit  of  rainbow  trout  is 
five.  For  northern  pike  the  daily  and 
possession  limit  is  10. 

Barndt  studied  the  canal's  grayling 
to  see  if  the  population  is  self-sustain- 
ing and  how  it  survives,  yet  his  findings 
could  have  larger  implications.  "The 
fact  that  they  are  found  in  such  tough 
conditions,"  says  Jim  Magee,  FWP's 
grayling  biologist,  "may  make  us  think 
twice  about  how  tough  a  species  they 
are.  They  may  survive  in  those  really 
marginal  areas  we  had  ignored  earlier." 

Last  year  Magee  took  a  look  at  the 
feasibility  of  the  Sun  River  to  hold 
grayling  and  helped  stock  the  fish  in 
the  Ruby.  It  was  also  a  good  year  for 


grayling  in  the  Big  Hole  River.  "We 
had  our  best  population  since  1983,"  he 
says.  Last  year's  count  was  96  grayling 
per  mile  (fish  1  year  old  and  older). 
Back  in  1983,  the  population  was  1 1 1 
per  mile  in  the  Big  Hole.  The  low  point 
came  in  1989  at  22  fish  per  mile. 

The  key  in  the  last  three  years  has 
been  plenty  of  water  and  little  competi- 
tion from  brook  trout  in  the  Big  Hole. 
Magee  says.  "Brook  trout  and  grayling 
are  using  different  micro-habitats." 

That  fits  in  nicely  with  some  of 
Barndt 's  findings:  Grayling  do  best  in 
streams  with  low  densities  of  compet- 
ing fish  and  low  gradient,  or  slope.  Is 
that  a  recipe  for  another  canal?  "If  you 
could  find  another  one  with  sufficient 
winter  habitat."  Barndt  says,  "and  cool 
enough  temperatures  in  late  summer. 
I'd  say  go  for  it." 


Readers  Respond 


Opportunities  for  Disabled  Hunters  Appreciated 


After  scraping  the  moss  and  mildew 
from  my  word  processor  I  wish  to 
express  my  feeling  on  your  article, 
"Meeting  the  Challenge"  (November/ 
December  1997). 

While  I  am  not  a  paraplegic  yet, 
after  my  accident  in  1984.  having  my 
whole  left  side  racked-up.  the  permit 
given  to  hunt  from  a  vehicle  did  extend 
my  ability  to  hunt  [in  Montana]  until 
my  move  to  Washington. 

Making  it  possible  for  the  disabled 
to  continue  and  enjoy  hunting  extends 
the  value  of  life  that  non-disabled 
enjoy.  I  wish  to  thank  those  who  assist 
as  well  as  FWP  for  the  extension  of  this 
tradition.  If  I  return  to  Montana  and 
hunt,  it  just  may  be  in  a  wheelchair! — 
dairy  L.  Preston.  Shelton,  Washington 


I  enjoyed  reading  "Meeting  the 
Challenge"  by  Alan  Charles  in  the 
November/December  issue.  When  I 
retired  from  FWP.  the  department  was 
just  starting  a  program  for  hunters  with 


disabilities.  The  department  has  come  a 
long  way  with  this  program. 

I  continue  to  enjoy  Montana 
Outdoors.  Keep  up  the  good  work. — 
Leonard  Cliristensen.  retired  game 
warden.  Kali  spell 

Photo  Issue  Stellar 

Congratulations  on  yet  another 
stellar  photo  issue  (January /February). 
The  photography  is  magnificent,  the 
layout  imaginative,  and  the  text 
colorful  and  thought-provoking. 

The  interweaving  of  the  title  with 
the  buck's  antlers  on  the  cover  is  a 
subtle  but  clever  touch  worthy  of 
recognition.  Keep  up  the  good  work! — 
Bob  Jones,  Missoula 

Landmark  Solution 

I  have  a  possible  solution  for  the 
Marine  sergeant  major  who  wrote  to 
make  you  aware  of  his  difficulty  in 
locating  Montana  landmarks  pictured  in 
Montana  Outdoors.  I  had  the  same 
problem  until  I  acquired  a  copy  of  the 


Montana  Atlas  and  Gazetteer  published 
by  DeLorme  Mapping.  P.O.  Box  298, 
Freeport.  ME  04032.  Problem  solved! 
By  the  way,  MO  is  a  great  publica- 
tion. I  really  enjoyed  "The  Dairy  Queen 
Bear"  (March/April  issue). — TO. 
Dissinger,  Centre  Hall.  Pennsylvania 

Bon  Appetit! 

I  have  recently  discovered  a  cook- 
book you  put  out  called  Savoring  the 
Wild,  and  was  wondering  if  you  had 
any  current  editions  for  sale.  Hungrily 
awaiting  your  reply. — Kevin  Hennessy. 
Chesapeake.  Ohio 

First  published  by  Montana  Fish. 
Wildlife  &  Parks  in  1974.  Savoring  the 
Wild  was  out  of  print  for  many  years. 
Fortunately  for  hungry  hunters  and 
anglers  like  yourself.  Falcon  Press 
revised  and  reprinted  it  a  few  years 
back.  It  is  available  for  $8.95  plus 
$3.00  shipping  and  handling  from 
Falcon  Press.  P.O.  Bo.x  1718,  Helena. 
MT 59624  (1-800-582-2665).— Editor 


34    may/june  1998    MONTANA  OUTDOORS 


MONTANA        OUTDOORS 


Show  your  wild  side 

For  the  first  time,  Montana  Outdoors  is  offering  quality 
clothing  and  gift  ideas  for  the  outdoor  enthusiast  in  your 
life.  With  the  distinctive  detailing  featured  on  the  shirts 
and  caps,  we  hope  to  reflect  a  love  of  nature  while 
perpetuating  respect  for  Montana 's  wildlife  and  the 
knowledge  that  we  share  a  responsibility  to  protect  and 
conserve  our  wildlife  heritage.  Proceeds  from  the  sale  of 
these  items  will  further  the  efforts  of  conservation 
education. 

Get  to  the  Point 

...  in  the  antlered  embroidered  detail  of  this  wildly 
accented  Henley.  Adaptable  and  versatile,  just  as  a  mule 
deer  can  be,  this  preshrunk,  100%  cotton,  long-sleeve 
shirt  can  be  worn  alone  or  as  a  base  for  layering.  Henley 
available  in  natural,  leaf  (shown),  lake,  navy,  black,  and  red 
in  sizes  M,  L,  XL.   ITEM  #1301-6   $29.95 

InVESTment  in  Adventure 

Made  in  Montana  and  as  rugged  as  it  needs  to  be.  The 
lining  of  this  vest  is  non-pilling  polyester  fleece,  with  a 
windproof,  water-repellent  nylon  shell  that  looks,  feels, 
and  breathes  like  cotton.  Vest  available  in  black,  with 
embroidered  Montana  Outdoors  logo,  in  sizes  M,  L,  XL, 
XXL.   ITEM  #6530-1    $58.95 


Hooked  on  Comfort 

.  .  .  and  classic  good  looks,  this  durable  denim  is  the  perfect  attire  for  telling  about 
the  one  that  got  away.  Button-down  collar,  100%  cotton,  and  generously  cut  for 
comfort,  this  shirt  comes  with  fish  and  fly  embroidered  detail.  Blue  Denim  Shirt  in 
sizes  S,  M,  L,  XL.  Natural  Denim  Shirt  (not  shown)  in  sizes  M,  L,  XL.  (sorry,  small 
not  available  in  natural  denim).  ITEM  #1901-4    $39.95 

Fit  to  a  Tee 

Almost  as  good  as  a  hole-in-one,  the  pure-cotton  comfort  of  this  tri-colored  golf 
shirt  will  have  you  ready  for  a  day  on  the  links  or  the  easy  chair.  With  contrasting 
collar,  cuffs  and  placket,  this  100%  combed  cotton  pique  Golf  Shirt  is  available 
in  forest  green/wine/navy,  wine/forest/navy;  and  royal/watermelon/jade.  Comes  with 
embroidered  Montana  Outdoors  logo  in  sizes  M,  L,  XL.  ITEM  #1202-1    $36.95 

TO   ORDER,   CALL 

1-800-727-2744 


Pho 


nd  tax  orders  VISA  and  MasterCard  only 


Man  j  Best  Friend 

Pheasant  and  hunting  dog  detail  this  pro-style  cap.  With  an  adjustable  plastic  strap, 
the  Cap  is  available  in  two-tone  combinations- dark  green/khaki;  dark  caramel/dark 
green;  dark  green/navy;  and  gray/black  One  size  fits  all.   ITEM  #2302-5    $14.95 

Reelin '  in  Montana  Moments 

This  low  profile,  soft-crown  cap  detailed  with  a  dry  fly  and  rainbow  trout  has  an 
adjustable  fabric  strap  with  brass  buckle.  Cap  is  available  in  green,  charcoal,  navy, 
or  two-tone  [navy  visor  and  khaki  crown).  One  size  fits  all.   ITEM  #2101-4   $14.95 

Call  of  the  Wild 

Our  traditional  golf  style  cap  is  poly/cotton  twill  with  mule  deer  embroidered  detail.  The  cap  has  matching  braid  and  an 
adjustable  fabric  strap  with  sliding  zipper.  It's  available  in  dark  green,  black,  or  royal.  ITEM  #  2202-6    $14.95 


Logo 
Details 


Chipmunk  Chic 

A  precocious  chipmunk  sits  on  a  Montana  Outdoors  logo  in  intricate  embroidered  detail.  This 
100%  cotton  T  will  keep  you  cool  and  comfortable  on  your  next  outdoor  adventure.  Preshrunk 
shirt  available  in  ash,  red,  royal,  and  black  in  youth  sizes  6-8,  10  12,  14-16.   ITEM  #1101-3    $13.95 
Adult  sizes  S,  M,  L,  XL.   ITEM  #1102-2    $15.95 

All  garments  machine  wash  and  dry. 


M 

Sold  to: 

N.II1K     


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FAX  ORDERS  1-800-727-2744  24  hours  a  day 
In  Great  Falls,  MT,  call  727-5730.      Phone  and  fax  orders  VISA  and  MasterCard  only 


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Send  to:  MONTANA  OUTDOORS 

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Contributors 


Lorentz 


""East- 
ern 

Montana's 
Makoshika 
State 
Park," 
says 
Chris 
Lorentz, 
"offers  a 
landscape 
of  unique 
geology 
and 
exceptional  beauty."  Located  just 
outside  of  Glendive,  this  badlands  site 
also  has  a  fascinating  history — 70 
million  years  ago  it  was  a  humid  jungle 
populated  by  dinosaurs,  crocodiles,  and 
tropical  plants — just  the  opposite  of  the 
arid  climate  of  today.  In  his  article. 
"Landscape  of  Change"  (p.  2).  Lorentz 
describes  the  park's  geology,  dinosaur 
discoveries,  wildlife,  and  recreational 
attractions.  A  Parks  Division  employee 
assigned  to  FWP's  Miles  City  region, 
Lorentz  is  manager  of  Makoshika. 

The  150-mile-long  Rocky  Mountain 
Front  offers  sanctuary  for  all  of 
Montana's  big  game  animals,  plus  a 
rich  tapestry  of  small  mammals,  birds, 
reptiles,  and  amphibians.  Throw  in 
spectacular  scenery,  dinosaur  history, 
and  rare  plants,  and  you  have  the 
makings  of  a  fantastic  wildlife  viewing 
tour.  In  her  article  beginning  on  page  8. 
Deborah  Richie  describes  the  East 
Front's  natural  attractions  in  detail, 
concentrating  on  four  wildlife  manage- 
ment areas,  a  Nature  Conservancy 
preserve,  a  ranch  owned  by  the  Boone 
and  Crockett  Club,  a  dinosaur  dig.  and 
a  pristine  lake  in  the  Lewis  and  Clark 
National  Forest.  Owner  of  Deborah 
Richie  Communications  in  Missoula, 
Richie  is  a  wildlife  interpretive 
specialist  who  writes  often  for  Montana 
Outdoors. 

Is  it  possible  to  live  in  Montana  and 
not  grow  up  fishing  with  family  and 


Hagengruber  family 


friends?  Unfortunately,  the  answer  is 
yes,  says  Dave  Hagengruber,  and 

that's  why  FWP  has  instituted  some- 
thing called  "Family  Fishing  Adven- 
tures" (p.  15).  This  program,  designed 
to  eliminate  barriers  that  keep  new 
anglers  from  getting  out  on  the  water. 
has  several  components:  a  fishing  club 
for  youngsters,  a  tackle  loaner  program, 
fishing  ponds  in  towns  and  cities,  a 
school  program  called  "Hooked  on 
Fishing.  Not  on  Drugs."  fishing  clinics 
for  kids,  and  a  free  fishing  day  for 
parents.  Hagengruber  is  FWP's  angler 
education  specialist  in  Helena.  To  learn 
more  about  Family  Fishing  Adventures 
and  how  you  can  become  involved,  call 
him  at  406-444-9736. 

There 
are  more 
than  three 
dozen 
"Rock 
Creeks"  in 
Montana, 
but  only 
one  with  a 
national 
reputation 
as  a  blue- 
ribbon  trout 
stream  and 

conservation  battleground.  When 
flyfishermen  talk  about  Rock  Creek, 
they  mean  the  one  that  originates  high 
in  the  Anaconda-Pintler  Mountains  and 
winds  its  way  to  the  Clark  Fork  River 
near  Missoula.  Made  famous  by  anglers 


*l 


Knight 


like  Joe  Brooks  and  Dan  Bailey  in  the 
1950s  and  1960s  and  saved  from 
extensive  logging  and  development 
through  the  vigilance  of  hunters, 
anglers,  and  conservation  organiza- 
tions. Rock  Creek  is  a  case  study  in 
trout  stream  preservation.  In  recent 
years,  says  Ellen  Knight,  conserva- 
tion easements  negotiated  by  the  Rock 
Creek  Trust,  its  partners,  and  area 
landowners  have  protected  more  than 
4,600  acres  in  the  Rock  Creek  drainage. 
For  a  glimpse  into  Rock  Creek's 
colorful  history  and  a  summary  of 
present-day  conservation  strategies, 
turn  to  her  article  beginning  on  page 
19.  Knight  is  director  of  the  Missoula- 
based  Rock  Creek  Trust,  a  nonprofit 
organization  dedicated  to  protecting 
conservation  values  in  the  Rock  Creek 
drainage. 

MO  thanks  the  following  artists, 
photographers,  and  organizations  for 
their  contributions  to  this  issue:  Ste\  en 
Akre,  Ulm:  Denver  Bryan  and  Bob 
Harmon/Museum  of  the  Rockies. 
Bozeman;  Malinda  Crawford  and 
Michael  Javorka,  Kalispell:  Gene 
Fischer.  Libbv  Gurnett,  John 
Lambing,  and  the  Montana  Histori- 
cal Society,  Helena;  Chick  Haney, 
Whitefish:  Larry  Javorsky  and 
Rebecca  Javorsky,  Hamilton:  Donald 
M.  Jones,  Troy:  Gary  Leppart  and 
Glenn  West,  Billings;  Jim  Mepham, 
Choteau;  Bethany  Milan.  Creston: 
Neal  &  Mary  Jane  Mishler,  Rich- 
ard Moisel,  Alan  G.  Nelson,  and 
Rodney  Schlecht,  Great  Falls;  John 
G.  Obrey,  Jr.,  Salt  Lake  City,  UT; 
Lance  Olsen,  Glendive:  Rock  Creek 
Tri  st/Mic  hael  Gallagher.  Missoula: 
Cynthia  Spence.  Aurora.  CO;  and  Al 
Troth.  Dillon.  Thanks  also  to  the 
following  employees  who  work  for  the 
department:  Brcce  Aichly,  Great 
Falls:  Dane  Hacencriber.  Helena: 
Jerry  Walker,  Bozeman;  and  Ron 
Wiley,  Glendive. 


Ml  :\l  \\  Mil  WOORS     mi  ii    .1  37 


Sraial^ 


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